Love Me
by MikiMoke
Summary: "She was stuck here as a human, with her life in the hands of a boy who knew next to nothing about what he was getting into! Joy, she thought." Everyone from Otherworld has been sent to Assiah, somehow human and unable to change back. Black Rock Shooter finds herself troubled over the idea of bonding with Rin to get her power back, but what choice does she have?
1. Chapter 1

**This fic was inspired by an amv I found with the song ****_I'm in Love (With a Killer)_**** that had clips of Rin and Black Rock Shooter thrown in. It was pure brilliance, even if it was cut short. I do not own the image used for the cover. So, yeah, hope you enjoy. Here's the full summary:**

_The Otherworld is collapsing and the Other Girls are somehow sent to the world of Ao no Exorcist. Black Rock Shooter runs into Rin, Dead Master finds herself with Shiemi, Chariot befriends Izumo, Strength wakes up in Bon's home, while Black Gold Saw finds herself teaching an exorcism class. All of them bond with the people who found them, and something within the bond changes them - their human bodies become their own once more, even if only temporarily. Black Rock Shooter seems to be having trouble in accomplishing this feat, however, and strives to figure out how to regain her previous body. Will the bond formed with Rin be enough to bring her back to normal? Or will she remain a human girl forever?_

* * *

Where was she?

What was she doing here?

She felt heavy.

She felt human.

Why did she feel like this?

Where was the Otherworld?

Where were her friends?

How did this happen?

Why was she here?

She felt tired.

She felt heavier.

She felt more human.

What was happening to her?

* * *

Rin stared down the clown-like man in disgust, gritting his teeth as he listened to what he said. Surrounding him were men and women clad in black - exorcists, Mephisto had said - and all of them were just waiting for him to make up his mind. It seemed almost like the perfect setting: Standing beside Fujimoto's grave as the rain pelted down on them endlessly, everyone waiting for Rin's decision. He'd been given three choices by Mephisto: Kill the exorcists, let them kill him, or kill himself. He'd been enraged upon hearing those options, a fourth one coming to mind almost instantly. There was no way in hell he was going to die here, and there was no way he was going to kill all these people.

The eccentric man waved his umbrella at Rin, grinning at him with his forest green eyes. Rin scowled at Mephisto as the man tauntingly asked, "Which shall it be?"

Taking in a deep breath, Rin replied confidently, "Let me join you."

Mephisto stared at him in shock, his eyes bulging to the size of saucers. "Whatever you guys say," Rin went on, "I am not Satan's son. My true father was Father Fujimoto!"

The man continued to stare, his shock gone and replaced by amusement. "And why would you want to be an exorcist?" he inquired. Rin narrowed his eyes in anger.

"So I can kick Satan's ass!"

More stares were aimed at Rin, a small giggle escaping Mephisto. Before long, the purple-haired man was all-out laughing at Rin, loud guffaws sounding out in the rain. Both the exorcists and Rin stared at him in disbelief, unsure as to why he was laughing. Had he said something funny? Was there even anything funny about the situation?

"That's a good one!" he laughed. "Oh, man! The funnies are upon me!"

Rin glared at him. What the hell was so funny!? Aside from Mephisto's clothes, Rin saw nothing funny going on! "You must be nuts!" Mephisto went on, wiping a tear from his eye.

"I'm serious!" Rin insisted, clenching his fists tightly by his sides. Mephisto wiped his face with one gloved hand, but left it hovering over his eyes as he peeked through his fingers. That grin was back, but it had a devious smirk hiding behind it.

"The son of Satan..." he mused. "An exorcist..." He snapped his fingers, surprising everyone as they jumped a fraction. A look of childish glee was now on his face, traces of the devious smirk gone. "Most interesting," he announced. "I like it!"

Rin was taken aback by his response, a dumbfounded expression on his face as he replied cautiously, "So it's okay?"

"You have chosen a thorny path," Mephisto told him. "But if that's what you want..."

Rin set his jaw proudly, taking in a deep breath. He was going to do it; he was really going to go through with it. "I am not a human or a demon," he told Mephisto narrowing his eyes. "But I will be an exorcist."

The man in the jester boots clapped his hands in amusement, the next words out of his mouth: "Go pack your things, then."

In his excitement, Rin would've gotten straight to it and he'd have raced back to the monestary to fill as many bags as he'd need for his time as an exorcist-in-training. Had he not been weighed down by the crushing reality that Fujimoto was not there to see him accomplish this semi-feat, he'd have been off like a rocket and said nothing more to Mephisto until he started his training. If Yukio wasn't still there, waiting inside with everyone else to give recieve condolenses, he'd have been happily packing in his room as he wished Fujimoto would watch over him. But the depressing scene had stopped him from moving so quickly, and in his momentary pause of surprise, he caught sight of something quite strange approaching them.

Out of nowhere, dragging a rather large cannon-like item, was a dark-haired girl clad in shorts and a bikini, a blue blaze hovering over one equally-blue eye. At first Rin had thought, _I'm not the only one with this damned heritage._ But soon after she slid her arm into the cannon-like object and aimed it directly at Mephisto, all thoughts were dispelled and the singular thought of, _Not in front of Father's grave_, filled his mind. As soon as she'd appeared and attempted to attack, the flame over her eye vanished and the circular-patterned orbs rolled upwards. She fell to the ground, the cannon-like object vanishing with her flame, and then she was suddenly naked and face-down in the mud, no sense of consciousness about her. Rin had managed to notice that her uneven pigtails had shortened considerably, now undone and flayed about her shoulders.

"W-What the-?" he started. An exorcist circling him quickly reacted, rushing to her side with what appeared to be a flask of clear liquid in her hands. The woman looked to Mephisto, concern in her brown eyes, and the purple-haired man offered an intrigued grin. He skipped over to the unconscious girl, pulling off his caped-coat and laying it over her in a generous gesture. He then cast his gaze to Rin, beckoning him over with one flick of his wrist. Confused, but curiously so, Rin joined him. What was ten more minutes in the rain, anyway?

"Is she okay?" he asked, crouching down beside the man as he surveyed the girl's face. She looked so young and small, but it was obvious that she was around the same age as Rin. And yet, while she looked young and small, her sleeping face appeared mature and deadly. Rin had never seen such a face before, but he had a feeling more people out there had a face like hers. "She hasn't been hurt by demons, has she?"

"Goodness, no," Mephisto said, flicking the boy on the nose in annoyance. "But she is something you'll learn about in your classes. You might even see more like her hanging around with fellow students."

Rin tilted his head to the side, even more confused. "Hanging around with-?"

The girl suddenly jerked, cutting him off mid-sentence as her arm shot out and long fingers wrapped around his leg. A shock passed through Rin, followed by a burning sensation in his left eye. He winced, about to reach down to pry her hand from his leg when he heard it: _Give it back._

Rin blinked, froze. Who'd just said that? Was someone else there? It could've been one of the other exorcists bickering among each other... But this voice was young, teenager-young, and female. It couldn't be-

_Give back my fire..._

As soon as he'd heard the second plea, the hand released his leg and fell limp to the ground, the girl stirring a little before going in a deeper state on onconsciousness. The teenage boy stood as quickly as he could, getting a good distance between him and the girl before demanding, "What the hell just happened?"

Mephisto waved him off, lifting the girl from the ground and smiling deviously at her. "You'll learn what it was later," he said. "No need to panic - nothing fatal. Go pack your things."

With that distracted reply, Mephisto carried the girl off and out of the cemetary grounds, barely waiting for his exorcists to follow. Rin frowned and watched as he left, the feel of that girl's hand still on his leg.

* * *

Today was... Well, today was eventful. First he waited to leave with Mephisto, bags packed and sword slung over his shoulder, only to discover that Yukio was coming along as well - that was quickly followed by the "forgotten" information that Rin would be attending his classes at the boarding school Yukio was attending, _and_ that Mephisto was the damn principal of the school. After getting changed into his uniform and arriving at the school itself - (which looked too big and good to be true) - he attended the year's first assembly, discovering that Yukio was the first-year representative. Not surprising, considering his high marks and high intellect, but Rin was still a little surprised to hear and see that Yukio was probably the smarted first-year in school!

School wasn't officially going to start until a week later, which left Rin a lot of downtime to settle and start his exorcism classes. He had to admit that he was a little nervous, but what could he do? He'd made this decision and he was sticking to it. Besides, he was stuck in this school with or without the exorcism classes. And, frankly, he'd rather excell at at least one set of classes he'd be attending.

He'd left Yukio, let the younger twin get familiar with his new classmates, and had gone off to one of the more secluded areas at wait for Mephisto. Considering the man had managed to circle exorcists around him during Fujimoto's funeral and come out of hiding right when Rin called him was proof enough that Rin didn't need to bother staying somewhere he'd be easily found. Then again, the man was probably just a lunatic who was good at hiding games - which wasn't hard to believe with the getup he'd sported the last time they'd met. But this was the guy who ran the school he was attending, the guy who was an exorcist that Fujimoto trusted with his sons.

Rin sighed to himself, crouching down and resting his arms on his knees as he counted the seconds that went by. He was expecting Mephisto to come out of nowhere any second now, to reveal himself in his little lunatic-clown way. For all Rin knew, the man was probably still dressed like a clown. At least that would make him easy to spot in a crowd, more so in plain sight.

"Thank you for waiting."

Speak of the devil.

Rin turned his head to the right, spotting Mephisto sitting fancily on a lamppost as he tipped his hat to the teen. Rin frowned at him, his guess of Mephisto's clothes correct. "So how do I become an exorcist?" he asked, not wanting to waste any time. Mephisto gave him a small smile, that deviousness back in the gesture.

"I appreciate your enthusiasm," he said, gliding down from the lamppost, "but you must take all things in steps. You must first attend Cram School."

"Cram School?" Rin echoed with a scoff. He knew he was going to be taking lessons to become an exorcist, but it was called a _cram school_? Seriously?

Mephisto was finally on the ground when he went on, "For exorcists. You will begin learning exorcism as a 'Page'." Rin went to say something else, questioning the title he'd be learning under, but Mephisto cut him off with another announcement. "Before we proceed with my warnings and my gift, I'd like you to meet someone who will be staying by your side for this little experience." He then nodded to someone behind Rin, staring over his shoulder as he grinned the same way he had when he'd seen the girl at the cemetary. Rin, curious, turned around to see who he was nodding to.

Walking down the pathway, dressed in the girls' uniform for True Cross (minus the jacket and sweater vest), was the girl from the cemetary. Her hair was still out of its pigtails, hanging low around her shoulders and framing her face. Her blue eyes watched the path, barely meeting Rin or Mephisto's eyes as she approached them.

The moment she was beside Rin, Mephisto said, "This girl is one of the core elements you'll learn about in Cram School. We managed to get a name out of her when we brought her back - Black Rock Shooter, she called herself - but we were also given a human name for her to go by. Rin Okumura, I'd like you to meet Miss Mato Kuroi. You and her will be getting to know each other very well in your exorcism training."

Mato barely glanced at Rin when Mephisto introduced them, instead glared at the man darkly and crossed her arms in front of her, hiding her face with her hair. While Rin found her "greeting" to be kind of rude and uptight, he found the name "Black Rock Shooter" to be a little more concerning. Who named their child Black Rock Shooter? Who would even go by such and awesome name, aside from the uppity girl next to him?

"A word of warning," Mephisto announced, pointing wildly at Rin. The boy jumped, surprised by the action, while Mato merely looked up in boredom. "It is a _secret_ that you are Satan's illegitimite child. You're hiding your tail - and while your teeth, ears, and tail can be hidden, that flame of yours is no joke. Control yourself."

Rin stared steadily at Mephisto, his reply a simple, "I'll try." He had not noticed the stare Mato had given him upon discovering news of his flames, the shock in her blue eyes as she tried to figure out if he was the one who'd stolen her fire.

"That's good enough," Mephisto said, smiling widely at the boy. He turned on his heel and took a couple of steps, his cape flaying out behind him. "Nonetheless, I'm a little worried," he added, "so I'll be observing your class for today."

He waved a finger about as he hummed a small tune, the words, "_Einz, zwei, drei_," sounding from him before a puff of purple smoke engulfed him. When the smoke cleared, all that remained was a small white Scottie dog with a big bow tied around it. Rin and Mato stared in surprise, eyes wide as they dog turned around to face them.

"Exorcists can change shape?" Rin asked in excitement, following Mephisto-Dog as he began to trot down the path. Mato was close behind, unsure of what to make of such a thing. A talking dog? She hadn't even seen a normal dog yet! Mephisto just ruined dogs for her!

The dog trotted on, telling the boy, "No. But I'm special." Mephisto-Dog skidded to a stop, turning his head around with someone sticking out of his mouth. Rin noticed the shine of the stick-like object, as well as a small circular hoop at the end of it. "Here's the Cram School key," he said, voice muffled by the small key. Rin took it from Mephisto-Dog cautiously, repeating his sentence once more. "Use it to enter the Cram School through any door. It's quite convenient."

Mephisto-Dog then guided them to a drop in the path, peeking over the edge to reveal a ledge to the two teens. Underneath the ledge was a set of double doors. "Try it out on any random door," he suggested. Glancing at each other, Rin and Mato jumped down and turned for the doors, Rin inserting the key as Mato picked up Maphisto and cradled him to her chest. He may have been a talking dog that ruined every other dog in the world for her, but he was still cute enough for Black Rock Shooter herself to cuddle.

The door opened slowly, and Rin half-expected to see some kind of storage space, for Mephisto to be joking when he said the key would take him to the Cram School. But instead his jaw dropped and his eyes bluged, the sight of the hallway before him taking him by surprise. He walked inside (at least it felt like he did - he probably stumbled a few times and didn't notice) with Mato following closely behind. She didn't seem as surprised as him, but she glanced between the hall and the door a few times to make sure she was seeing what was in front of her. The two continued to look around, to stare at the various doors and the checkered floor and the shadow-covered ceiling. This was new to them, even if Black Rock Shooter had come from another world that was filled with oddities.

"First-year lessons are in room eleven-oh-six," Mephisto-Dog said, looking up to Mato. She nodded and waited for Rin to join her and the dog, and then proceeded to walk to room 1106. The walk was quiet, the girl hardly paying the boy any mind as the dog became more and more anxious over the tension in the air. The two really needed to start talking to each other, or else their futures as partners wouldn't work out well.

Room 1106 came into view, Mephisto announcing, "Here we are," when he caught sight of the door. Rin stopped on one side, nervous as hell, while Mato paused and felt a shift in the air, familiar souls on the other side of the door.

"I'm a little nervous," Rin admitted to himself. He then reached for the door and pushed it open, stepping inside with Mato and Mephisto-Dog at his heels.

The nine students already inside barely paid him and the girl any attention, but two sets of eyes lingered on Mato for a moment before returning to their conversations. Mato quickly recognised the girls and paused mid-step, falling behind as Rin made his way to a table at the front row. Panicking a little, she hurried over to him and sat down beside him, letting Mephisto to hop up onto the tabletop.

What were Strength and Chariot doing here? They hadn't fallen unconscious and woken up here, had they? How long had they been here? They looked a little more well-adjusted than Mato was, but she only assumed it was because Strength had once been in the human world and Chariot had once had Dead Master to "talk" with in her spare time.

Mephisto had been talking to Rin, but Mato hadn't been listening. She felt yet another shift in the air, right when Mephisto-Dog said, "Oh, here's the teacher!"

A male voice entered the room, familiar to Rin but young to Mato. He told the class to quieten down, the familiar shift getting closer and closer. Rin and Mato looked up and spotted the teacher, Rin recognising him as none other than his younger twin brother, Yukio himself. Mato's eyes, however, trailed to the woman behind him, to the familiar face she'd felt coming seconds before.

Black Gold Saw strode in behind Yukio, a small smirk on her face as her brown-red eyes locked with Mato's. Black Gold Saw then shifted her gaze to Chariot and Strength before standing behind the young teacher with her hands clasped in front of her. Mato felt an even bigger panic arise in her, the question of how long these girls had been in this world. Was she the last one to appear in this world? When did they end up appearing? Why did Black Gold Saw have differen't coloured eyes? Why did Strength look more like her human counterpart? Where was Dead Master?

"As you may have guessed," the teacher said, cutting her out of her panicked thoughts, "I'm a new instructor who's the same age as you. But in regard to exorcism, I'm two years ahead of you. As such, you will address me as 'Mr Okumura'."

He said it all with a smile - a sweet smile that could lure in a weak-hearted person - but Rin and Mato knew something was hidden behind that smile. "Raise your hand if you've never encountered temptaint before." He raised his hand as a demonstration, but Rin found himself glancing left and right in confusion as he tried to figure out what a temptaint was. Yukio counted the students with their hands raised, announcing, "Three of you? Well, our first lesson will cover the temptaint ritual."

Black Gold Saw moved over to Yukio and produced a smal suitcase, opening it and handing a few things to the boy. Rin leaned down to Mephisto-Dog's level, whispering, "What's temptaint?"

"They're wounds and afflictions recieved from demons," Mephisto-Dog whispered back. Mato found herself half-listening, barely paying him attention. Her eyes were on Black Gold Saw, her suspicions high as she tried to work out why all four of them were in the same place at the same time. "After a single infection with temptaint, you can see demons. All exorcists must first go through this ritual." Mephisto-Dog leaned down onto the desk lazily, adding, "Not you two, of course."

Mato set her mouth in a thin line of a frown. At least she didn't have to damage this human body for the sake of seeing some demons. But she still wasn't happy with the fact that Black Gold Saw was standing at the front of the class, handing the teacher his things before going back to her previous station.

Yukio had finished his explanation on what he would be doing for the temptaint ritual, displaying the vial of blood and the carton of milk. As soon as he said he would begin, he added in, "While I prepare the mixture, I'll let my partner, Miss Saya Irino, take over in regards to Otherselves."

He got to work straight away, leaving Black Gold Saw to take over. So that was the name she was going by - Saya Irino. Just like her human self's name.

She stepped forward, standing in front of the desk as she tossed a bit of hair over her shoulder. It was shorter than what Mato was used to; hardly any red in it, either, as well as missing horns. "Thank you, Yukio," she said, putting on a sweet smile. "Now, then; who here knows what an Otherself is?"

Everyone's hands but Rin's and a brunette girl's went up, and the boy was surprised to see Mato contributing. The girl hardly said a word, but it seemed that she needed to do this to express how she was feeling. "Good," Saya went on. "How many of you are actually Otherselves? Don't be shy - I recognise each of you and I'm more than willing to name names."

Four hands went down, leaving only three up: Mato's, a blonde's, and a bubbly brunette's. Saya nodded. "For the sake of a quick revision, the Otherselves are sort the reflections of a girl's pain and sadness, born in Otherworld with the only thought of fighting. They run on instinct, and when one dies the girl they reflect forgets her pains and sorrows.

"In this world, Otherselves are used as weapons that have...special needs, you could say. One of the biggest needs is for the person their bonded with to stay very much alive. Who here is far enough into their bond that they can summon up something that once belonged to them?"

The bubbly brunette raised a hand excitedly, a big smile on her face. "I can, Miss Irino," she said. Immediately she stood and strolled to the front, smiling at everyone as she introduced herself. The girl's name was Yuu Koutari, but her Otherself name was Strength. She was a small girl, Rin thought, with her big hazel eyes and choppy brown hair. She looked to be shorter than Mato, but he never knew - sometimes size could mean nothing compared to strength.

Yuu beamed at everyone once more before pulling a serious expresion, her eyes changing colour to a bright orange and a small light appearing behind her. The light soon vanished, replaced by a mechanical, scorpion-like tail protruding from her back. She glanced at one of the boys she'd been sitting with - the one with the blonde streak - and smiled, then returned to her seat as her eyes changed back and her tail vanished. Rin was dumbfounded by what he'd just seen, and glanced at Mato. She seemed shocked, but still wasn't saying anything.

"Excellent," Saya praised. "I do need to point out that more forms will come as you grow along with your partner, and it is through personal accomplishments and feats that you attain these forms. However, these accomplishments need to be mutual - there's a reason why the two of your are bonded. That said, I'll leave it to you guys to figure out the rest."

Saya then turned on her heel and returned to her spot behind the desk. More silence followed, and Rin, in his growing aggitation toward his brother, shot out of his seat and began yelling at the boy to explain what was going on. Mato watched in intrigue, wondering how she and this boy were alike. Saya's words held a lot of truth in them, she knew, but she just couldn't see how she and Rin were the same. What kind of goals would they have in common? Yell at their teachers and get a detention? As if that would get them anywhere!

The teacher tried to dismiss Rin, tell him to sit back down, but the blue-eyed boy was having none of it and grabbed at Yukio's arm - the arm that held the vial of blood. Mato tried to recall what Yukio had said about blood and the temptaint ritual, but she couldn't figure out what by the time the vial had smashed against the floor.

Part of the ceiling collapsed, an air vent smashing onto an empty table as one girl shrieked, "Demons!"

Mato jumped out of her seat and flew to Rin's side. Saya had practically said that her life was in a human's hands, and she didn't want this fool dying on her before she found a way back to the Otherworld. It seemed that the other three were thinking the same thing, as Chariot stood in front of the girl that had shrieked and Strength defended the boys, her eyes turning orange and her tail appearing once more.

The teacher fired three shots and destroyed three odd-looking creatures that went for the girls. Mato barely got to see what they looked like before Yukio had shot them, but all she could think was that they looked a little bit like a monkey, only fatter and more rounded in shape.

"Evacuate the classroom," Yukio ordered, guiding everyone toward the door Rin and Mato had entered through just moments earlier. Everyone left, filing out one by one, and just as Mato hoped that Rin would leave and keep them both alive, he slammed the door shut. Now it was just the four of them: Saya, Mato, Yukio, and Rin.

"We're not done talking!" Rin yelled at his brother. Saya and Yukio sighed at the same time, turned back to the creatures infesting the room. Saya took in a deep breath, squeezed her eyes shut, and then opened them as she charged at the creatures. Horns - red and curved - protruded from her head as her eyes turned crimson and a red flame sparked over her right eye. She reached for her ear, pushing away some of her hair to reveal an earring that resembled King Saw. She removed the earring, the jewelry growing to the size of a thin, serrated sword with a sawblade over the hilt. Saya swung the golden blade and sliced a creature in half, its round little body falling apart until nothing was left. As she sliced at them, Yukio shot at them, delivering his piece to his brother.

"There's nothing else to say," he said, shooting down four at once. Rin scowled at him, staying beside Mato.

"What?" he demanded.

"I'm busy right now, so save it for later." He shot a few more, barely pausing with each bulet fired.

A horde of the creatures charged at Rin and Mato, latching onto them and gnawing on them. Rin let out a frustrated yell and demanded help from his brother, but Yukio just stood there and narrowed his eyes in displeasure. Rin called upon his blue flames, burning the creatures to death while scaring away the ones on Mato. She stared at him in shock, recognising the colour of that flame as her own. Had he... Had he stolen her fire?

"Listen to me!" Rin yelled. The flames went out in an instant, and Mato had to look away to get back into focus - she was in a classroom full of dangerous creatures and Rin was the only thing keeping her alive! She _needed_ to get him out and into safety. "We've hardly talked since Father Fujimoto died. If you knew all this time, then how did you feel about me?"

"How did I feel?" Yukio asked, shooting down another creature. Mato glanced Saya's way, spotting her covered in the blood of the creatures as she sliced more and more of them down. "Well, since you're a demon, I thought you were dangerous." He shot down another one. "You're such a fool, Rin. Why do you want to be an exorcist? Revenge? Or to atone for what you did to Father Fujimoto?"

The creatures were getting bigger, and Saya was finding herself backing away from them in order to stay unharmed. "It's too late now!" Yukio went on. "If that's what you really want, then either turn yourself into headquarters, or just die."

Rin stared at his brother with wide, furious eyes. Mato did as well, but merely for his suggestion that Rin go die. Where did that leave her? Dead.

"What did you just say?" Rin growled, bringing out his flames again. "Do you think it's _my _fault Father Fujimoto died?"

"If I did, would I be wrong?" Yukio fired two bullets at one of the larger ones near Saya, covering her as she sliced at another. "Father Fujimoto protected you. I could see that the whole time. Father Fujimoto was the only person in this world Satan could possess. He was always Satan's target. But for fifteen years the strength of his spirit prevented the worst. Father Fujimoto was our strongest exorcist."

Yukio's guns were firing bullets at a rapid pace, taking down more than Saya could in three swings of her sword, while his attention stayed on his older brother. "There is no way he would have allowed Satan to enter him," he said, "unless he were mortally wounded in his soul." He stared his brother down sternly, his eyes darkening through his glasses. "Did you say something to hurt him?"

Yukio reloaded his gun as Rin stared at him in shock, lost for words. Saya returned to his side, the creatures dead and gone as she kept her sword at the ready. "If Father Fujimoto had one weakness," Yukio said, finally aiming his gun at Rin, "it was you, big brother. You killed Father Fujimoto."

The boys stared each other down for a second, Mato's mind reeling at she tried to think of what to do. Okay, common goal for them - escape Yukio and Saya and run away. Surely they'd unlock her rock Cannon from that, right?

Rin's gaze darkened, his eyes narrowing as he reached for his sword."Like you say," he said quietly. "I'm a fool. Say whatever you want. But don't point your gun at me!"

He drew the sword, his flames wilder than before as his ears became elf-like and a tail flew out from under his shirt. Mato was amazed by the fire on him, convinced that his was certainly greater than her own, single-eye flame. "We're brothers!" he yelled. "Got it? I didn't kill Father Fujimoto. I can understand your hard feelings by why point that thing at me? If it'll make you feel better, then shoot!" He charged at Yukio, sword at the ready as he stared wildly ahead. "_Shoot_!"

Yukio just stared at him, either too scared to do anything or unsure if he should pull the trigger, Saya was unmoving, her sword clasped tightly in her hand. It seemed that Yukio's hesitation was her own. Rin flew past them and slashed at an object with his sword, and it wasn't until Mato drew her eyes away from Yukio and Saya that she saw it: A giant version of those creatures with a big crown on its head, a large thin line circling it as it fell apart and disappeared. Rin landed on the ground, leaving the duo between him and Mato, and sheathed his sword, glaring at Yukio in offense.

"Don't insult me," he growled. "I would never fight my little brother."

The younger boy stared at him in shock, unsure of what to say. Saya's appearance returned to normal, her horns disappearing as her sword shrank back to its earring size. Her eyes returned to their human appearance, the red flame gone. Yukio lowered his gun and stared at the ground pitifully, asking his brother, "What was Father Fujimoto like in the end?"

Rin glanced back at Yukio for a moment, then replied calmly, "He was cool. He died protecting me." He closed his eyes in thought. "I don't want to become an exorcist to get revenge. I just want to be strong. I don't ever want anyone to die for me again."

Just like that, the brothers were getting along. The woman with Yukio looked to Mato as the brothers conversed, a small smile on her face. This was one genuine, hardly hiding a hidden motive. She approached Mato, reached out for her to take her hand. Mato stared at it for a few seconds, only to have Saya say to her, "It's scary, seeing your partner about to die. It's not just them you lose, but yourself. I figure that, since these two can get over each other and get along, so can we. Truce?"

Mato stared at the hand, unsure as to whether or not she should take it. This was a woman she'd almost killed when she'd gone insane - the woman who continuously watched her in other worlds to make sure she was in line. Did she dare shake her hand?

Mato reached up and took the hand, shaking it once before letting it go. She needed this truce. She'd be weak without this truce. She needed as much defense as possible, especially with Rin as her partner.

* * *

"Are you ever going to say anything?" Rin demanded, walking through the dormitory with Mato. Cram School had finished, and Rin and Mato had been given their room numbers by Yukio. Rin found it weird that they'd be in the same building, but didn't bother to question it. The walk there just gave them more time to talk - that is, if Mato would actually say something.

The girl merely glanced at him and kept on walking, answering his question with her silence. Rin frowned and walked a little faster, annoyed that he was lumped with this robot of a girl. She barely said anything, barely showed her emotions - she was like the badass character in manga, and not in a good way!

He sighed and looked over the doors, spotting room 602 just a few metres down the hall. He opened the door, complaining about the other guys not arriving yet, and found a surprise waiting for him when he switched on the light.

In the room was Yukio, as well as a casually-dressed Saya. As soon as Rin demanded to know what was going on, Saya was at Mato's side and dragging her toward another room. Mato didn't argue - she didn't want to sleep in the same room as the boys - but felt a little agitated that she couldn't keep a better eye on Rin. The boy was like a child in a kitchen, finally able to reach a knife on the bench.

"Mato," Saya started. Mato glanced up at her, the circular patterns of their eyes meeting. "It really is vital that you and Rin get along and learn to communicate. I will be honest, my relationship with Yukio has allowed me to change back for a period of time, but know that it drains your partner when you do it. I've known Yukio for two years, and in that time I've managed to become like a mother to him - I've managed to bond so close that words are not needed in battle and exorcisms. You and Rin, though... Well, you could use a lot of improvement. I know you haven't known each other long, but you need to start opening up quickly. Otherwise, you'll just be giving the both of you a quicker death sentence."

They arrived at the room, Saya's words echoing through Mato's head as the woman opened the door to reveal a room waiting to be used. Saya asked her jokingly if she wanted top bunk, despite the fact that there was two sets of bunks, but Mato was hardly listening. She needed to actually know Rin to bond with him? If getting a miniaturised version of King Saw and horns and a single flame was Saya's achievement in two years, how long would it take Mato to return back to normal? How long would it take her to be able to go home and be Black Rock Shooter? Too long, she decided. It would take too long to return back to herself.

She was stuck here as a human, with her life in the hands of a boy who knew next to nothing about what he was getting into!

_Joy_, she thought.

* * *

**Just to clear up any maybe-sorta-probably-not-there confusion, the Otherselves will go by their human names until they change into their normal forms, which is when they'll have their Otherself names. So, we got this? Human form equals human name. Otherself form equals Otherself name.**

**Hope you enjoyed, by the way ^.^ I'll update as soon as I can.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A great big thank you to my first favouriters/followers - I was excited to start this chapter when I found out someone was reading it ^.^ I hope this chapter is as good as the last.**

* * *

Tears rolled down his cheeks as he turned a page of his book, the manga reaching a tragic climax. Mato rolled her eyes as she wrote down a few notes, trying to ignore him from the top bunk. The two, on their day off, had been encouraged by Yukio and Saya to do some homework for Cram School. While Mato found the idea to be pointless, she'd decided to learn more about what she'd be protecting Rin from in the future. It seemed that the boy had other ideas, though, and had situated himself on his bed with an apparently tragic manga to read.

She still hadn't said a word to any of them, not even Saya; Mato figured that, since they'd never spoken with words as Black Rock Shooter and Black Gold Saw, words were not needed for them. Apparently they were needed - Saya was so different to her cold-hearted self, and even at this very moment she was cooking up a snack for the teens to eat. She'd never known of Black Gold Saw to cook something without poisoning it or turning it into something deadly, but maybe Saya was just an entirely different person to the one Mato knew.

"Rin!" Yukio scolded, snatching the manga. Finally, Mato thought, she could get some work done without the sounds of sobbing coming from below. "What're you lying around reading manga for? You should be studying!"

Rin demanded his brother give the manga back, but Yukio deftly replied, "I gave you the study materials, didn't I?" Rin confirmed it and tried to add on, but Yukio cut him off with, "Did you look them over?"

"They're for kids!" Rin exploded, throwing a book titled _The Story of the BiBle For Kids_ at his brother. Yukio dodged it smoothly, crossing his arms in front of him. "Stop looking down on me!"

Yukio sighed and stared his brother down. "I'm not making fun of you," he said. "You _are_ stupid, though. I thought these would be easier to digest."

Mato leaned over the edge of the bunk and yanked one of the books from the pile, looking over the cover in curiosity. _Plants_, it read. Well, no wonder Rin was offended - it was probably written for a two-year-old, even if it was thicker than her hand.

"Do you really think I'm the type," Rin growled, "to sit at a desk and study?"

"No, not at all," Yukio said. "But you want to be an exorcist, don't you?"

The door opened, revealing Saya dressed in her exorcist uniform with a tray of warm cookies in her hands. Yukio glanced at her and nodded, then headed for his own uniform across the room. Saya handed the cookies to Rin and Mato, the latter still convinced that their truce was only one-sided. "You've got the day off," Saya told Rin. "Study for class and get to know Mato. You probably won't have much time for getting to know each other when you start making new friends here."

Rin's focus wasn't on Saya as she said this, but on Yukio as he put on his coat. "Are you going out somewhere?" he demanded. Yukio glanced back at his brother and nodded.

"A request came in, so Saya and I are going out," he said. "I've also got some shopping to do. I won't be late."

"A request?" Rin repeated. "An exorcism?"

"What else would a request be?" Saya laughed, taking a cookie from the tray. Mato watched her eat it, hoping to see some sign of poison so she could toss away the rest, but Saya managed to devour the whole thing and not fall to the floor in agony. Convinced she was fine, Mato took one and bit into it, finding the taste to be a little rich. It was the first piece of food she'd eaten since leaving the care of the exorcists not even a day ago, and it was better than the soup they'd given her.

As soon as Saya confirmed that a request was an exorcism, Rin leapt off of his bed and rammed straight into Yukio, begging him, "Take me with you! Hands-on experience is better than book study!"

Mato begged to differ.

"You're still a Page," Yukio argued. "You're not cleared for battle training."

"It's too late for that!" Rin growled, his tail wildly swatting about. Mato still couldn't get used to seeing a tail on the boy, despite knowing a girl with a giant, doll-like weapon, a girl with wings, a girl with horns, and a girl with a metal tail. "I've already been in battles, so who cares?"

Mato cared! If he went into battle while he was still learning to do whatever the hell an exorcist did and died, Mato would die as well! What part of that did he not understand!?

The exorcist duo looked to each other, seeking a confirmation from both sides. Saya was the first to speak up, nervously telling him, "I suppose it would, ah, help them get to know each other. You know, with teamwork in fighting and such."

Yukio sighed audibly, pushing his glasses up his nose. "You do have a point, Rin. Alright, you can _observe_. But you must do as I say. Don't do anything on your own."

A big smile of success was what Yukio got in reply, Rin's reply that he knew his brother would see it his way. As soon as the two Pages were changed into their uniforms (Mato still couldn't stand the skirt and the stockings) they met Yukio and Saya at their door, watching as Yukio demonstrated what the supply shop key would do. As he unlocked the door he told them to never lose their keys, to take good care of them, as they were important to exorcists.

He pulled open the door and led the way outside, the scene of the halls outside their room changing to a rather large and high-up bridge. A clear view of the school was on either side of the bridge, but straight ahead of them was an old Japanese-styled house covered in trees and leaves and anything else green. Mato was instantly reminded of Dead Master.

Yukio explained how the keys worked while Saya and Mato hung back behind the boys, watching the house with different thoughts on their minds. Mato was curious as to who would live in such a quiet place, keeping in mind that she and all the other girls used to do the same; Saya was thinking of how Mato would react to seeing a familiar face there, debating whether or not she should tell her about the residents.

Soon enough they reached the house, a fresh lesson on how the clown was using his own power to confuse and trap demons that wandered into school in their minds. Rin had remarked that Mephisto was no ordinary clown, and Mato couldn't help but agree with him.

"I need to buy some supplies first," Yukio said, walking up the stairs with Saya. "You two wait out here."

Rin was quick to argue, "Can't _we_ go in?"

"You need to be an exorcist or a higher rank," Yukio explained. "I'll be right back." If he'd left it at that, Rin and Mato would've been fine with waiting for them; unfortunately, he just had to add on, "No wandering around! Don't touch anything!"

As Rin yelled at him to go and Mato glared at him, they recieved an apologetic smile from Saya. Mato thought about the woman's new personality, about whether or not she'd like it enough to get used to it. It would be weird to see her act like this, yes; but maybe this change could benefit Mato - no more random moments where they attack each other in order to come out stronger than the loser.

Rin was mimicking Yukio as he angrily walked about. He growled about who Yukio thought he was, only to stop when something caught his eye. Mato followed his gaze, curious, and spotted a dark metal gate at the top of another set of stairs. The metal appeared to have been welded into a strange pattern, a pattern Mato couldn't describe even if she tried. But the patten on the gate - as well as the gate itself - made her want to see what was on the other side.

Before the duo knew what they were doing, they began ascending the stairs. Curiosity wheeled them in, sending them further and further up the stairs. Mato found herself wondering over and over again what was behind the gate; it wasn't until she felt the shift in the air that she began to wonder who was behind the gate. She hoped that it was Dead Master - the real Mato and Yomi were close, leading to Dead Master and Black Rock Shooter to be close - but she couldn't be sure. What if she was one of the girls Saya had created? What if she was yet another girl she'd killed? Actually, that was a very vague suggestion - Black Rock Shooter had killed many, many Otherselves back before she'd woken up here.

She and Rin arrived at the gate within seconds, Mato's eyes glued to the intricate pattern of the gate while Rin's gazed upon the garden inside. He'd never seen so many flowers in one place, nor had he seen so much green. His eyes trailed along, taking in the details, when suddenly they stopped on two people.

Two girls were kneeling down in the garden, one digging a small hole while the other held in her hands a flower to be planted. The girl digging the hole had dark hair and bright green eyes, her skin so fair, while the other girl was blonde and dressed in traditional Japanese clothing, a small amount of dirt covering her arms. Rin took a step closer to the gate, his eyes unable to move away from the blonde's face. She looked so content with what she was doing, and seemed so careful with her movements as she planted the flower. Rin reached up to the gate and tried to get a better look, hoping to see what kind of flower she was-

An electric shock passed through his fingers the moment he touched the metal of the gates, a small amount of pain hitting his hand before fading away. He looked to Mato, wondering if she'd felt it, and noticed she was scowling at him whilst shaking her hand to get rid of the pins and needles. Rin went to shrug, to apologise, but heard a creaking sound that cut him off. The two sent their gazes back to the gate, spotting the metal object fall from its hinges and land on the grass effortlessly. The two stared at the gate, then looked up at the girls. Both were staring at Rin and Mato, the blonde trembling as she did so.

"D..." she started. This couldn't be good. "Demons!"

Mato slapped Rin over the arm.

The blonde let out a scream and turned around, attempting to crawl away as her dark-haired friend followed suit. Rin gave chase almost immediately, demanded that he wasn't a demon. He then remembered that the blonde had used a plural and added that Mato was not a demon either. The girl was having none of it, though, and screamed out, "Stay away! Someone help!"

As soon as she said it, she and her friend tumbled down and faceplanted the earth, letting out a syncronised "oof" as they did so. Rin and Mato stared at them in confusion as they got up and started again, only to fall the same as before. Concerned, the two jogged over to the duo to see what was wrong. Rin was at the blonde's side before Mato reached the other one, and the first thing he said sounded so kind to the girl - it was the most caring thing Rin had said in the time she'd known him so far: "Are you alright? Is there something wrong with your legs?"

* * *

"Thank you so much for helping us," Yomi said, beaming at Rin and Mato. The two were carrying buckets of fertiliser to the girls, their eyes stinging from the stench as they tried to hold their breath. It had been discovered by Mato that Dead Master really was here - and under the name Yomi Takanashi; what luck! - but it had also been discovered that this young girl - Shiemi - was bonded to Yomi. Why else would a human weapon be unable to move her legs? Why else would Yomi be crawling around in the mud and planting flowers to pass the time?

"How did we end up doing this, again?" Rin muttered to Mato, setting down the bucket next to Shiemi. The blonde had finished digging a hole to put it in, as had Yomi, and now the two were waiting for Rin and Mato to give them the buckets. Shiemi checked the hole she'd dug again, only to frantically began to correct its depth.

She said to Rin, "Can you please take that to Yomi?" Comparing him to an obedient little puppy, Mato watched as he picked up the bucket and carried it over to Yomi. She felt a little jealous - she wanted to see why her friend was unable to use her legs - but kept it hidden with her stoic expression. She came to a stop next to Shiemi, noticing the girl had finished correcting her hole, and crouched down on the other side of her. Mato handed the bucket to the girl, earning a bright smile from her in repsonse. If Mato wasn't a professional at keeping a straight face, she'd have been smiling back at the girl's infectious expression.

"We'd never have gotten this done before the day ended," Shiemi remarked. She took the bucket and began to pour the firtiliser into the hole, the stench flying up into Mato's nostrils. She paled slightly and turned her head away just a little, still able to see Shiemi in front of her.

"I'm sorry for how we treated you earlier," Yomi apologised to Rin. The boy looked up from the hole, his blue eyes meeting her green. She was smiling softly at him, her expression reaching her eyes. Perched on her nose were a pair of green-framed glasses, but Rin wasn't really paying attention to the spectacles; his focus was more on the way her eyes appeared, the familiar circular pattern that he knew he'd seen somewhere. "We were a little, ah, scared... But you two really are nice."

Rin felt his cheeks turn pink when he realised he'd been staring at her eyes for the entire time she'd been speaking to him and he quickly averted his gaze to the hole again. "Nice, eh?" he said to himself. "If you say so..."

Yomi beamed at him, much Like Shiemi had to Mato, and he felt his cheeks heat up again. He had to admit she was pretty, almost like a porcelain doll, and there was no ignoring that for him. But there was something about her eyes...

"I know you already know this," she said, holding out her hand, "but I'm Yomi Takanashi. That's Shiemi Moriyama."

Shiemi waved to Rin slightly. "What're your names?" she added.

Rin took Yomi's hand and shook it, ignoring the fact that there was a rather large amount of dung on her fingers and palm. "I'm Rin Okumura," he replied sheepishly. "The girl behind me is Mato Kuroi - she doesn't say much, so don't expect much of a greeting from her." Mato turned around and punched Rin on the back lightly, pouting at him as she turned back around to face Shiemi.

Rubbing the spot she'd punched him, Rin looked between Yomi and Shiemi curiously. Shiemi was watching him and Mato with a small smile, thoughts forming in her green eyes. Mato found herself looking back down to the fertiliser-filled hole, wondering what kind of flower Shiemi would be putting in it. Shiemi had begun talking about how the garden had belonged to her grandmother, but Mato was only half-listening. She was curious as to why Yomi couldn't walk, as to why even Shiemi herself couldn't walk. Was something wrong with their legs? Had something happened to Yomi when she woke up in this world? Did the exorcists even know she was here? Of course they had to - this was their supply shop!

"She's gone ahead to the Garden of Amahara, I hope," Shiemi said, catching Mato's attention. Such a strange name for a garden. "The Garden of Amahara is where God has gathered all the world's plant. It exists somewhere in this world. If you go there, you can see every plant there is!"

Rin's interest seemed sparked, a smile directed to both girls. "Uh-huh," he said slowly. "The Garden of Amahara... I don't get it, but it sounds nice. Why don't you go there?"

The dark-haired girl let out a giggle, pushing her glasses up her nose. "You can't," she replied with amusement. "It's just a myth. Besides, with our legs..." She let the sentence hang in the air.

"But if it really did exist," Shiemi added, "and I could see all the plants and flowers and trees of the world, I'd want to go."

He stared at them in thought, his eyes softening in their gaze as he considered the tone Shiemi had used, only to be startled by a rather loud, "Rin!"

The two jumped slightly, turning their heads to see Yukio, Saya, and another woman walking down a set of stairs and heading toward them. "I thought I told you to wait," Yukio scolded. Saya was shaking her head at them, but a small smile graced her face. She'd probably been expecting it, knowing her.

"Yuki!" Shiemi and Yomi announced, beaming at him in greeting. Rin and Mato stared at them in shock, Rin for the fact that they knew each other and Mato for the fact that they'd called him Yuki. They stared on as the four exchanged quick hellos to each other, only to look to each other in confusion once Yukio was done.

"You... You know each other?" Rin asked, sounding dazed. Yukio looked in his direction with a guilty expression, nodding in confirmation.

"Yeah," he said, smiling. Saya and I come here all the time. She's the owner's daughter."

Ah, so the woman with them was the owner. Seeming to remember that the two crippled girls were with them, Yukio gestured to Rin with a light wave of his hand. "Ah," he said, "this is my older twin brother."

"_Older_?" the girls gawked at once. "But _you _act more mature!"

Yukio laughed at that. "In reality, I'm the big brother," he joked, "but _technically_ he is."

The older Okumura repeated Yukio in annoyance, about to storm three steps closer and slug him in the face. He was willing to take that first step, but was pulled back by Mato. She'd gripped his shirt tightly and yanked him back an extra step, the message in her glare clear enough for even the dim-witted boy to understand: _No fighting._

"He's a Page," Yukio went on, ignored by Rin. "He's observing me today."

Saya chose this moment to jump in, sending a thoughtful glance at Yomi. "Actually, both of them are observing," she pointed out. "Rin and Mato are bonded, like me and Yukio. They'll be observing us both."

At this, the two girls gave them confused smiles. "Observing?" Yomi repeated, her voice faltering a little. Mato had a feeling something was going on; something Yomi knew about.

Out of nowhere, Shiemi's mother ordered sternly, "Let Mr Okumura and Miss Irino look at your legs."

Shiemi was shocked, more so than Yomi. "But Mother!" she insisted. "A demon didn't do it!"

A knight in shining armour, Yukio knelt down beside the girl as Saya made her way over to Yomi, crouching down in front of the dark-haired teen. The boy gave the blonde a reassuring smile, that very same one he'd given his class the day before. "Let's check. Just in case," he added quickly. Shiemi let out a squeamish sound, blushing furiously as Yomi hid behind her glasses. "If I don't find anything, then there's no problem. May I have a look?"

Shiemi's blush darkened, and she muttered out a small, "Okay."

Yukio thanked her and nodded to Saya, who began to examine Yomi's legs, and then told Rin and Mato to watch what he did. He reached for Shiemi's legs, pushing up the material of the kimono as he apologised like a gentleman. Mato stared in wonder at the girl's legs once they were revealed, her eyes widening as se processed what laid beneath the skin. They were like veins but... Well, they just weren't! They bulged out of the skin, stopping around her ankles and continuing further up her legs, further underneath the kimono. They looked like-

"This is a root," Yukio said. "The source. It's temptaint."

He released Shiemi's legs as Saya stood and joined him, explaining that Yomi's use of legs were limited to everything Shiemi could do. Mato wasn't paying attention, though. Roots? In that girl's legs? What kind of demon did such a thing to a young girl?

"A demon did this," Yukio concluded. The woman stuttered out a question about them being possessed, and as she did Yukio glanced to Saya. His partner nodded as she set down Yomi's legs, the clear pattern of roots poking out from under the skin. "No, they're not possessed," he told the woman. "The demon involved isn't that strong. A low-level demon like a Dekalp, Greenman or Ent must have possessed a plant and reached into Shiemi and Yomi through the soil and their feet to feed off of their inner unrest."

Mato repeated the words in her head, recounting what he was saying. So she was possessed, but not possessed? Or did the demon possess a plant and then slither into their bodies to do this to their legs? Damn it, she should've read that plant book Rin had...

"Shiemi, Yomi," Yukio said softly. "Demons usually ensnare their victims through conversation. You must have talked to a demon. Any idea when? You can tell me."

Yomi merely shook her head slightly as Shiemi stuttered out, "I haven't talk to a dem-"

"Girls!" the woman cut her off. She was yelling at the top of her lungs, clearly infuriated with the situation. Mato flinched a little at the loudness of her voice, but soon got used to it. "Get out of this garden right now! Your grandmother cared for this place, but there is no use ruining your health over this damned garden!"

The blonde stared at her mother in shock whilst Yomi looked away, ashamed. Mato wondered to herself if Yomi had been taken in as one of the woman's own, and somehow that theory explained calling Shiemi's late grandmother her own as well. But wouldn't that make her a Moriyama, not a Takanashi?

"Mother, don't say that..." Shiemi's voice was soft, her expression hurt and betrayed. That soon changed, though, when she scowled at the older woman and shouted at her, "This was Grandmother's treasure! _I hate you, Mother_!"

Out of nowhere, the two girls began to wobble, their eyes glassing over as they groggily slid shut. They began to fall to the ground, entirely limp, but were stopped from hurting themselves as Yukio and Saya caught them mid-fall. Someone called out for her, but Mato wasn't sure who. All she knew was that she and Rin had been thrown into a tragic issue that needed to be solved.

* * *

The two were seated outside while Yukio and Saya discussed the issue with Shiemi's mother, and Mato couldn't help but think that she was right back where she started. How could an Other girl fix this? Otherselves were made to destroy, not fix; for what reason were the Otherselves used in exorcism other than for killing? From this case she could see nothing that Saya could help Yukio with, especially after she'd seen the woman slice thirty or so hobgoblins the day before. Rin's feelings were the same - once again there was something wrong, and all he could do was sit around and wait; he was horrible at fixing, but not at breaking. He scowled; if only he could find that damn demon, then he could help the girls and be done with it!

The exorcists and the mother were busy conversing, talking about how Shiemi and Yomi had come about this situation and about how the late grandmother had owned the garden before them. Rin and Mato listened closely, hearing the worry in the mother's voice. She told them she was a bad mother, and it was at that moment that the two stood and stormed off in the direction of the storehouse Shiemi and Yomi lay in. As they did this, they thought about why they were moving there, why they were even bothering to help. They couldn't explain it, and Mato was suddenly seeing one thing that she and Rin had in common: The inexplicable desire to help, even if all they could do was destroy.

They arrived at the storehouse without much trouble, knowing that Yukio and Saya hadn't noticed them leave yet. That gave them some time to check on the girls before they were found out and scolded like children.

Mato reached for the door of the storehouse once they made it, opening it silently as she saw the two panicking in their sleep. They were in the same bed, the thing large enough to fit four people on it, and they were rolling around as though they were dreaming of bad things. What were they called; nightmares? That had to be it.

Yomi and Shiemi gased and opened their eyes when Rin peeked in, sitting up and putting a hand other their hearts in an attempt to calm themselves. Rin took over, stepping forward and asking them, "Are you alright?"

The girls looked up in surprise, hardly expecting to see the Pages at the door. "Rin?" Yomi breathed, shocked. Shiemi was silent, staring at them both. Was there something wrong? Why was she looking at them like that?

"Hi," Rin replied. "Your mother's worried about you."

Shiemi found her voice when she heard that simple sentence, an appalled expresion on her face as she demanded, "H-How can you take _her_ side!? She's the one who's wrong! I decided I would protect my grandmother's garden!"

The boy narrowed his eyes at her, his fingers twitching. He went to reach for his sword, but was beaten to it by Mato. She yanked it off of his shoulder and twirled it in one hand, swinging it down onto a ground of potted plants with all the force she could muster. Rin stared at her, bewildered by what he was seeing. Had she just thought of the same thing he did? Impossible - they'd only known each other for one day, and neither had been put in a situation where they had to smash something. Not unless yesterday counted...

She was soon joined by Rin, who picked up a pot and dropped it onto the ground. The loud smash of the clay was all Shiemi needed to crawl out of bed and beg them to stop. Yomi followed, heading toward Rin as she silently asked him to stop, but it was Shiemi who put up the bigger fuss by dragging herself over to Mato and clinging to the girl's leg, screaming at her to stop destroying her grandmother's garden. Unable to take it any longer, Rin turned away from the flowers and yelled at the crippled girls, "What is holding you back?"

Shiemi was caught by surprise, and Mato had made sure to stop smashing everything to hear what she had to say. Surely they had a good reason for this; surely there was a valid explanation as to why Dead Master couldn't walk.

"If..." Shiemi tried. "If..." She let out a sob. "If I'd come home earlier and covered the trellis, Grandmother wouldn't be dead! She died because of me!"

Rin stared at her, eyes wide and sympathetic. She was just like him, blaming herself for her grandmother's death; Rin knew many people blamed himself to be the reason Father Fujimoto was dead, but he'd never thought he'd see the exact emotion in the eyes of someone else. Sorrow washed over him; this girl... She had no idea what to do, other than blame herself. Rin felt something inside him change, the desire to convince her otherwise taking over.

"If so," he said, "then you mustn't make your mother worry!" Mato watched as he knelt down and grabbed Yomi and Shiemi's shoulders, pulling them close into a huddle. "If you can't do that, then stop! Besides, I think what you _really_ want to do is find the Garden of Amahara!" He paused, lowering his voice into a soft tone. "Or," he added, "would your grandmother tell you not to go?"

A pained expression passe over Shiemi, reflecting in the bright eyes of Yomi. Mato found herself staring at them in awe, something stirring up in her stomach as Rin gave them his pep talk. She could feel some kind of passion inside her, a need to help coursing through her. Had Yomi not been here, Mato wouldn't have even batted an eyelash at Shiemi and would've ignored the poor girl; she was unable to use her legs thanks to her own mistake of talking to a demon, and that was on her own head. But, somehow, as Rin gave them his lecture, she felt something pull at the strings of her heart. She pondered how deep the bond between an exorcist and an Otherself went, wondering if this was why Saya had hesitated yesterday when Yukio had.

"No..." Tears were forming in both girls' eyes. Shiemi went on, "She wouldn't. She wouldn't." She soon began to sob, and it was then that Mato stopped and thought. This was the exact pain the Other girls lived for - were born from. Why was she denying this girl in a time of need when Yomi was having too much trouble trying to take away all those emotions? Gritting her teeth, Mato joined the trio and wrapped her arms around Shiemi comfortingly, letting the blonde sob into her uniform. Rin stared at Mato in shock, most likely at the blank expression she wore as she did this, but turned his attention back to Yomi and Shiemi immediately after. Yomi, joining in with Shiemi's loud sobs, flung herself at Rin and wailed as loudly as the blonde did.

"I'm so stupid!" Shiemi cried. "My legs won't move anymore! Neither will Yomi's!"

In the midst of Shiemi's crying, Mato found herself glancing at Yomi and Rin. She felt a small stab of emotion in her gut, something other than the need to help the girls; it was jealousy. She was jealous because Rin was comforting _her_ friend, _her_ reason for tearing apart half of Otherworld. And yet here she sat, cradling the form of a sad girl as Yomi clung to Rin for dear life. "I'll cut the root out of this demon!" Rin announced ferociously.

A throat clearing caught their attention, the sound of a feminine giggle reaching their ears. Rin looked up in shock to find Yukio and Saya watching them - Yukio in his usual all-business stare, and Saya in an adoring amusement.

"Sorry to kill your enthusiasm," Yukio said, pushing his glasses up his nose, "but I can exorcise this little squirt in no time."

"You two will walk again," Saya added in, smiling at the two girls in reassurance. It was yet another reminder that this was not the Black Gold Saw that Mato knew. "We promise. Everything else is just mental anguish - uneased feelings."

Shiemi and Yomi stared at them in both gratitude and shock, unsure as to how this had all become about them so quickly. If Mato looked hard enough, she could see the nervousness in both girls' eyes as they thought of what to say, how to thank the duo. It seemed, however, that their thanks would be cut short; Yomi and Shiemi suddenly looked to each other, scared, and began to panic. A rumbling came from beneath them, the roots in their legs wriggling about with a sickening slurping sound. Out of nowhere, the roots burst out from the legs and sank into the grassy earth, lifting both girls before bringing them together to shield the demon revealing itself.

Confusion and panic set in for Mato, Rin's obvious fear for the girls hitting her like a bullet. The demon began to take form, its petal-like face frilling around the two girls' heads while its arms held out one of Yomi and Shiemi's arms. It moved around strangely, as though unable to properly hold on to two bodies at once.

"_We are going to live in this garden,_" it shouted, the voice a combination of some monster and the girls' voices. "_Together forever!_"

Anger welled up in Mato- No, Black Rock Shooter. How dare it! How dare it take her friend and possess it like some... Some possessable object! How dare it desire to keep her forever! She clenched her fists at her sides, her rage clearly shown on her face. However, this wasn't rage - this was the emotion known as "livid". She was livid that this thing was using Yomi as a shield, a puppet; just like Chariot had so long ago.

"It's using them as a shield," Yukio deduced. "Saya, will you lend me a hand?"

His shoulders sagging, Rin felt somewhat let-down in this panicked situation. He was hoping that Yukio would call on him to help, not Saya, but he had to remind himself that he and Saya were closer in this profession; he had no right to interfere here.

The woman nodded and reached for her earring, the jewelery growing into her serrated sword as her horns grew from under her hair. A red flame flared over one now-red eye, and immediately she rushed off into battle. Mato watched as she tried to strike the demon, only to stop short when it turned around and used the girls as a shield. Mato tightened her fists, feeling something thin, familiar, in one hand. It was then that she realised she was still holding Rin's sword.

She rushed forward, using as much strength as she could muster in her human body, but was stopped when Rin snatched the sword from her grasp and unsheathed it with a growl. He lit up like a match, his ears lengthening and his tail flying out from under his shirt as his teeth grew and his eyes became wild. He was covered in fire - fire that Mato missed and craved to retake.

It seemed that as she'd debated what she was to do, Yukio had done something Rin hadn't approved of, and it wasn't until she saw the reddish liquid on Shiemi's kimono that she knew. Shiemi wasn't the only one that the demon flung away in shock - the pansy-like demon dropped Yomi in disgust, knowing full well that when the human died in a bond, the Otherself died as well. Its shields were useless.

Rin charged at it in rage, Mato's livid feeling fueling his attack as he cut past Saya and sliced the demon in half. The demon perished as soon as the flames consumed it; Rin skidded to a stop and put away his sword, his fire disappearing; the first words he screamed at Yukio were, "You hurt them!"

The girls' bodies landed in the arms of Saya and Yukio, the exorcists oblivious to Rin and Mato's anger. Mato tried not to look at the bodies in their arms, trying to keep her emotions in check, but dared a peek for curiosity's sake. What she saw surprised her more than the talking dog: Shiemi and Yomi slowly opened their eyes, moaning tiredly before looking around to see where they were. They were alive; well and truly alive. And Mato had been about ready to decapitate Yukio and Saya for killing them.

"Looks like the roots are gone," Saya assessed, looking from Shiemi's legs to Yomi's. Mato and Rin let their eyes trail to the legs, spotting them clear and free of roots or anything underneath their skin. "Let's see if you can stand, hm?"

Careful as she could be, Saya lowered Yomi's legs to the ground. The girl's feet trembled as they touched the ground, the weight of her body a little too much for her to handle. She soon stopped her trembling, her legs adjusting as Yukio set Shiemi down to do the same. The two were soon standing on their own, smiling at their accomplishment.

Their smiles disappeared quickly when the older Moriyama burst out of the house, yelling out, "Shiemi, Yomi!"

The two girls looked up at her, unsure of what to do, and all Shiemi could do was mutter, "Mother," before Rin hit her over the head. Yomi flinched, most likely feeling the pain Shiemi had, and sent a sad look to Rin.

"Go on!" Rin growled. "Go apologise. If you don't, you'll regret it later."

Mato and Yomi stared at Rin in surprise, neither expecting the order he'd given. They watched as Shiemi tiptoed over to her mother, nervous about what to say, and felt themselves let out sighs of relief when the older Moriyama grabbed her daughter and brought her into a tight hug. "Stupid girl!" she wailed. "You had me worried!"

That was what set off Shiemi's tears, her apologies, and her relief. Yomi turned to Mato, smiling at her; she got no such thing back, but did recieve a nod of congratulations from the shorter girl. Yomi took it and nodded back, seeing the same Black Rock Shooter she'd known before this world. Rin and Yukio conversed about what Yukio had shot them with, Rin expressing how pissed off he was with the trick his brother and Saya had pulled, but added in that it had felt good to help. Yukio sent his brother a small smile as Saya ushered Yomi over to Shiemi, and Mato stood on her own as she watched the two friends celebrate their new legs.

* * *

Mato rubbed her stomach in frustration, her hunger setting in at such an ungodly hour. It was half-past two in the morning and she was hungry; why the heck was she hungry when she shoud've been sleeping? She shook her head and let out a sigh, not even bothering to try and understand why her human body was acting in such a way.

She found the door to the kitchen right ahead of her, her stomach letting out a low growl as she did. _Calm down, I'm going_, she thought. _Just give me a minute._

The lights were on in the kitchen, a small illumination showing her the way inside. She'd been expecting to walk into a dark room with the constant eerie feeling that something was behind her, but was instead met with a lit-up kitchen and a familiar face munching away on the leftovers from dinner. Rin was leaning against the stove with a fork in his hand, chewing the rice without even noticing that Mato had walked in. She crept over to the entryway, wondering when he'd notice he was being watched, but jumped when he set down the container, reached for one of the cupboards, pulled out a bowl, and then dished half of the rise in it. She caught sight of some steam rising from the food, indicating that it had been reheated. He then left for the top drawer on the other side of the kitchen and pulled out a fork, then returned to the bowl and stuck it in with the rice. His next move surprised Mato.

Rin picked up the bowl from the bench and held it out toward the door, looking Mato in the eye as he asked quietly, "Hungry?"

Unsure of what to say, let alone do, she stumbled into the kitchen and took the bowl. She didn't thank him, didn't acknowledge him, but he didn't seem to mind. He just picked up his container and resumed his eating, paying her no mind as she cautiously tried the food.

* * *

**Thought I'd add in that bit at the end so we can see where they stand at the moment. I had honestly planned on getting Mato to unsheath Rin's sword, and then have her take Rin's demon form and use it to fight, but it seemed kind of farfetched to use. So, instead, I did what I did and put in a midnight snack scene. Again, I hope it was as good as the last chapter.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello, again! I was surprised when I got those reviews and favourites - I usually don't get that many in two chapters ^^" A great big thank you to **Asaninja4827**, **Ria Risa**, **The-Circus-Master**, **XDragonQueenX**, and the two guest reviewers from chapter one. Hope you guys enjoy this chapter.**

* * *

He almost couldn't believe that someone as idiotic as Rin Okumura was bonded to an Otherself. He was stupid, careless, moronic, clueless; the complete opposite to Mato Kuroi, his partner. Mato was calm, collected, observant, quiet; she actually paid attention to her teachers in class.

Bon scowled to himself as he waited for lunch to finish, Yuu quietly seated by his side while Shima was off flirting with some girl. Konekomaru was there with him, ready to drag him away if he persisted, but Bon found himself focusing his attention on someone else entirely. For once, Mato Kuroi was sitting by herself, away from her idiotic partner, with her nose deep in a book titled _Science and Religion_. Bon wondered to himself why Mato put up with Rin, more so why she hadn't snapped at him by now; she just seemed so expressionless when it came to the simplest things - it was bugging him!

A hand tapped his shoulder, his attention moving away from the black-haired girl. Yuu was grinning at him, hazel eyes wide as ever. She'd noticed he had been watching Mato, and he could feel the cheekiness rise up within her. "Like something you see, Bon?" she teased. Bon blushed, looking away.

"It's not that!" he insisted. "I'm just wondering how someone like that Okumura guy became bonded to an Otherself!"

Yuu's grin faded, turning into a pout. "I thought I had something to tease you about," she muttered. "If you really must know, a lot of Otherselves are paired based on similar personalities and similar goals. You and I don't look like we fit the picture, but we do - coming to this place with Shima and Koneko was a common goal we shared."

He shrugged. "Guess you're right." His gaze returned to Mato once more, spotting the familiar pink head of Shima standing behind her. Shima was leaning against the tree casually, an easy smile on his face. Bon scoffed. "A hundred yen says that he gets rejected."

A giggle. "What makes you think I don't know that?"

The two watched in silence, noticing Konekomaru give up and return to them. Konekomaru was exasperated as he explained that he'd tried to stop Shima, but Bon waved him off and watched the scene play out.

Mato was ignoring Shima as he talked to her, her eyebrow occasionally twitching as she turned a page. It was obvious that Shima was being more persistant than usual, but even Bon had to admit that he should stop and walk away. Sadly, Shima didn't hear Bon's unasked request, and continued on talking. Ever so slowly, it became clear that Mato was becoming more annoyed by the minute. Yuu smiled knowingly when Mato closed her book, and Konekomaru worriedly asked her what was going to happen. Before she could answer, Mato's hand flew behind her and hit Shima square in the knee, a loud crack coming from the boy's limb. Shima's face paled, and he limped away as steadily as he could, stating casually that he would see Mato later at Cram School.

Once he returned, Bon scolded him as Yuu kicked the very knee Mato had punched. Clearly Shima had made a bad decision to talk to Mato.

A bell rang in the distance, signalling lunch was over, and Bon looked over at the tree to see if Mato had moved yet. She had, but only to stand, and it seemed that she was watching out for someone across the area. Bon followed her gaze slowly, spotting the person she was looking for, and scowled. Rin Okumura was taking his sweet time to reach his partner, a tired expression on his face as he lazily searched for Mato. He spotted her, waving a little, and was at her side within seconds after. Mato looked as stoic as ever, but also seemed a little displeased at how tired Rin looked.

Bon began to walk away with Yuu and the guys, spotting Mato pinch one of Rin's pointed ears and drag him back inside.

* * *

A few kicks to the leg were useless, it seemed; Rin wasn't waking up. The book was held loosely in his hands, fozen way back from the beginning of the lesson, and a small bit of drool was trickling down his chin. Mato tried her best to be subtle as she kicked his leg as hard as she could, making sure the teacher wouldn't notice before she woke him. Maybe if she held his nose shut he'd wake up. Or if she flicked his ear. Or if she punched his- Actually, no, he'd make too much noise from the pain, and she'd only be hurting herself as well.

It was easy to notice that the wandering eyes of some students were upon them, including the smug, golden-eyed smile of Kagari Izuriha. Mato knew her best as Chariot - as a possessive little brat who looked more like a doll than a crazed child - but in this world little to nothing was known about her. For all Mato knew, Chariot had changed as much as Saya had. Then again, with the looks she was shooting, Mato could be wrong.

An elbow bumped her own, tearing her attention away from Rin and Kagari. Her blue eyes met Yomi's green, and the girl quietly asked under her breath, "Are you okay?"

Making sure the teacher wasn't looking, Mato picked up her pen and pretended to write notes on a new page, replying to the girl, _That bitch is looking at me smugly. She's amused at Rin's laziness._ Yomi read the note twice and turned her attention back to the textbook in her hands, watching cautiously as the teacher passed. She then gave Mato a reassuring smile - one the girl knew the meaning behind: _As long as she's not doing anything, we're fine._

While Yomi did have a point, Mato still wouldn't trust Kagari as far as she could throw her.

She was about to start nudging Rin awake again, but was stopped abruptly when the teacher suddenly yelled out, "Okumura!"

Rin awoke with a loud, "Sukiyaki!"

And that was just the first lesson of the day.

Demon Studies hadn't gone any better - Rin had faltered when the teacher asked him what the weakest kin of Astraroth was. (A Coal Tar, something Mato had read about a few days ago.) When came the time for Grimoire Studies, Rin damn well near dosed off in the middle of the teacher's lecture; Mato had almost fallen asleep with the amount of boredom pouring into her from the sleeping boy. She felt almost lucky that their second last class was Demon Pharmacology, but soon realised that more embarrassment was to come - their tests were due back today, the scores clearly stating how much attention had been paid and how much thought the students had put into the test itself.

There would be no way to escape Kagari's smug gaze now.

"Please wait until I call your name, and then take your test back from Miss Irino," Yukio instructed, handing a pile of papers to Saya. "Renzo Shima," he added, calling out the first name.

A pink-haired boy stood, easily recognised by Mato as the flirt she'd punched in the knee at lunch. She wasn't too fond of him; he was too full of himself, too flirty for her liking. He seemed nice enough when those two qualities were ignored, but she just couldn't ignore the fact that he'd probably try to make a move on her before trying to befriend her. He took his test back from Saya, smiling meekly at his results, and sent a quick wink to the girls at Mato's table. Shiemi and Yomi blushed furiously, clearly never being gestured to in such a way before, but all Mato could do was scoff silently and send an icy glare at the teen's retreating figure.

"I-I'm sure we've done okay," Shiemi whispered to Yomi, overheard by the two blue-eyed teens beside them. "Plants are our specialty, after all." Yomi nodded in agreement, just as Yukio called out for Izumo Kamiki. The red-eyed girl that hung around Kagari stood and collected her test, sending a foul look to Rin and Mato on her way back. Mato returned it without any hesitation, knowing full well that, if she were willingly hanging around Kagari, she was just as bad as the blonde.

"Shiemi Moriyama," Yukio announced. Almost immediately, the blonde stood and hurried over to the woman at the front, eager to see her results. She didn't dare peek before returning to her seat, and once she was seated she flipped the paper over. Her smile left her face, a let-down stare at the paper replacing it.

"It's all very well, coming up with your own names for plants," Saya said, eyeing the big red forty-one written in the top right corner of Shiemi's test. "But when you're taking a test, it's best to use their actual names."

Rin burst into a fit of laughs, teasing Shiemi about her speciality. Mato was called up, praised by Yukio as she saw the number eighty-seven written on her paper. Rin stopped, shocked, and then gave the girl a pat on the back. She shrugged him away, keeping the paper in her view as she checked over her answers. They were satisfactory, but she could've done better - she'd needed one hundred percent survival rate in the Otherworld, and a mere eighty-seven percent wouldn't have have gotten her far back home. No, she needed to do better; especially with Rin to protect.

Rin was called up next, a scowl from his brother confirming everything. Mato stared at the score in dismay, their combined scores totalling at eighty-nine out of two hundred. Why had she expected more?

Yukio called out for Ryuuji Suguro to come up, and the rooster-haired boy immediately stood and made his way to the front. He was a friend of that Shima kid, and had also been watching her at lunch. She wasn't sure of her opinion of him yet, but had a feeling he'd be pleasant enough if he was hanging around Yuu.

He passed Rin with a displeased glare, a sneer on his face as he growled at the boy, "I couldn't get a score that bad if I tried. Try studying instead of trying to act all call for the girls."

And there went any hope that he was a nice guy.

"Excellent work, Suguro," Yukio praised, watching as Saya handed the boy his test. Clearly pleased with his score, he held his paper up to face Rin and Mato and walked smugly by as they read his score: Ninety-eight.

Unable to stop himself, Rin burst out of his seat and blurted out, "No way! A guy with an attitude like yours, getting ninety-eight? That's kind of thing just doesn't happen!"

His shocked remark seemed to piss off the taller boy. He scrunched up his test in one hand, fists clenched tightly as he growled through his teeth, "The hell was that!?" He slammed his hands on the desk, clearly enraged by Rin's statement. "You wanna know why I come to these classes? So I can do some serious studying and earn the right to call myself an exorcist!"

By now his friends had gotten out of their seats and had pulled him away, the bald one begging him to calm down while the Shima kid smiled awkwardly at his friend's behaviour. He continued to yell, stating that he hadn't seen Rin do an ounce of studying in class alone, and had even thrown in the fact that someone like Rin didn't deserve to be bonded to an Otherself. While Mato was glad someone saw it her way, she still took offense in him insulting her partner. Meanwhile, Yukio had taken it upon himself to pull Rin back while Saya stood between the two parties, frowning in exasperation over the petty argument. Yukio tried to calm his brother whenever Rin tried to make comebacks, stating, "Yes, yes, excellent points," and, "Please, carry on; let's hear it."

Needless to say the class ended on a low note.

When Yukio had dismissed the class, Rin, Shiemi, Yomi, and Mato decided to join Yukio and Saya by the fountain outside, surrounded by other exorcists who were conversing about their classes and jobs. Mato didn't know whether or not she wanted to listen in, but knew that at least a few of them would know how to handle the whole Suguro/Rin situation. Mato felt that she and Yuu could probably do a better job at solving it than Yukio and Saya had, but she wasn't too familiar with human problems like Yuu was - the first thing the dark-haired girl would suggest would be a battle to the death between the two. Yes, it was probably better that the teachers handled it.

As Yukio and Rin discussed who Ryuuji Suguro was and Saya conversed casually with the two garden girls, Mato allowed her eyes to wander around a little. She sat on the highest level of the fountain, on the third circular centre, and contemplated a few things to herself. She'd hardly noticed the absence of the Otherselves who had come here. In fact, she'd been putting most of her attention toward some of the few remaining Otherselves back in Otherworld. The last person she'd seen before landing here was Black Matagi, and it had been a while since even the sadistic Dragon Slayer had gone missing. A shudder passed through her, the thought of running into Dragon Slayer sending a chill down her spine. Nothing good would happen if Dragon Slayer was here.

Her eyes moved around more and more, dancing around each group of exorcists conversing around them. The people themselves were a mixture of young and old, fat and skinny, male and female. It was very different from Otherworld; for one thing, everyone was female. For another, everyone was young, almost teenage in appearance. There was always death and destruction when two Otherselves crossed paths; very rarely did that happen when two humans did the same.

She could feel someone's gaze on her, but didn't move her eyes away from the current group she was watching. She was more interested in the conversation that the red-haired man and the petite tanned woman were having. Mato kept her eyes on them as they began to walk away, then decided to get it over with and look around for any familiar faces or even for the one watching her. If that rooster head was watching her again, she'd be very displeased - Yuu would be complaining about a sore jaw by tomorrow, that much she knew.

Her gaze landed on another group consisting of three people - two girls and one very tall man. From where Mato was sitting, she could just barely make out the shine of a ring on both the tall woman's finger and the messy-haired man's finger. Engaged, perhaps married, she thought; but there would be the unlikely odds that the two weren't engaged or married to each other. For all Mato knew, they were siblings. Then again, the woman was blonde while the man was dark-haired, and their faces bore no resemblance to the other. She watched the group with half-closed eyes, the blue orbs meeting a single purple one as she looked to the third member. This was a face she easily recognised; this was a face she thought of not even ten minutes ago. Black Matagi stared down Mato with her single purple eye, an expressionless look on her face as Mato returned the gesture. She looked more or less the same, her black, oversized sailor jacket and pleated skirt replaced by a simple grey cardigan and dark denim shorts. She still wore her knee-high boots, this time without their usual heels.

The two stared at each other for a moment, unsure of what to say or do, and kept their faces blank as the two groups conversed without them. It wasn't long until the blonde woman with Black Matagi earned the small girl's attention, the teen's expression changing to that of a reassuring smile. She said something - a sentence Mato almost couldn't read from her lips - but noticed one word that stood out: Mother. So this woman had adopted Black Matagi, then? Good for her, Mato thought; she was making good use of being in this world and starting a family.

Mato looked away from the trio as they began to walk off, her attention back toward the now group of three with her. Saya and Yukio had disappeared some time ago, along with a few other groups of exorcists. Mato figured they'd needed to prepare for class, and didn't bother questioning where they'd gone.

"Rin, Mato," a soft voice cut in, breaking Mato away from her thoughts. The blue-eyed teens looked to the one who had spoken - Yomi - with sincere curiosity. "Do you have friends?"

The question was rather odd, considering that Mato's only friend would have to be Yomi. She hadn't known Yuu like the real Mato had, and Kagari certainly wasn't on her list of people she found pleasant to be around. Black Matagi? Probably not. Dragon Slayer? Never in a million years.

Rin seemed to stutter with his reply, the eyes of both Yomi and Shiemi on him. Mato pitied him a little. Only a little. Before he knew what to say, Yomi jumped up from her seat and scaled the circular wall to reach him, leaning down to face him as she balanced her hands on her knees. A nervous smile was on her face as she pushed her glasses up her nose.

"Will you, um," she started, "you know..."

Before she could say what he apparently knew, a familiar and currently annoying voice reached their ears. Mato resisted the urge to roll her eyes as she turned to face the boys and Yuu. The trio were dressed in their P.E. clothes, much like Yuu was, but unlike the boys Yuu had her jacket wrapped around her waist. The sleeves appeared rather long compared to the girl's arms.

"Look who's having a fine time of it," Ryuuji said smugly, a grin on his face as he stared down Yomi and Rin. The tall girl blushed a deep shade of red and backed away from Rin slightly, embarrassed by what Ryuuji was implying. Shiemi seemed a little oblivious, though, and merely cocked her head to the side in wonder. Mato sent the rooster head a glare before turning her attention to Yuu in confusion. Yuu merely offered a shrug and an apologetic smile.

Rin spun around faster than Mato had even seen him move. "Having a fine time of what!?"

Ryuuji gave him an even smugger smile, if it were possible. "Who's the girl? Your woman or something?" He let out a small scoff. "You come to one of the few exorcism schools in the world and you bring your girl along? Aren't you taking it easy."

The tall girl looked mortified by what Ryuuji had said, cowered behind Shiemi as the blonde continued to listen in confusion. Mato's anger was rising again, but she knew half of it was Rin's.

"It's not like that, okay?" Rin insisted loudly. "You're getting it all wrong."

"Well what, then?" Ryuuji went on, smirking. "Are they your little friends?"

The boy looked away, seeming ashamed. "They..." he started. "They're...not my friends."

Three shocked stares landed on Rin, Mato's containing the most rage. That was it; no one hurt Yomi's feelings to look cool! Mato climbed down from her spot just as Rin began to throw his own insult at Ryuuji, spotting the near-broken look in Yomi's eyes. Shiemi seemed just as hurt, but also appeared to be hiding it better. Taking in a deep breath, Mato tapped Rin's shoulder. The action cut him off mid-sentence, and the next one brought a spike of pain through her ankle. She lifted her foot a little and brought it down as fast as she could, kicking Rin's ankle with as much power as she could muster. He yelped and began hopping around on one foot. Her ankle screamed in pain, but she wasn't done yet; she stormed over to Ryuuji and lifted her hand to strike him, but was stopped when a smaller form stood between them.

Yuu deflected Mato's blow with a speed she'd only seen in Otherworld, her usually smiling demeanour changing to that of deadly calm and piercing orange eyes. Ryuuji watched Mato with a scowl, pissed off that she would try and harm him, but refused to say anything other than, "Sending your partner to fight your battles for you; pathetic."

That. Little. Bastard.

Mato pushed past Yuu, clenching her fists tightly, but was once again stopped by someone. Rin's arms hooked underneath her own, lifting her from the ground and pulling her back. The Shima kid immediately took a cautious step back from his friends, knowing full well the damage Mato could do with one fist.

"What about you, huh?" Rin growled, struggling to keep Mato back. "You never go anywhere without those cronies of yours! You're just as pathetic!"

Ryuuji stared at Rin with wide eyes, and then returned Rin's tone with a loud, "What'd you say!?"

Thus began the war.

* * *

"I'm really sorry about Bon, Mato," Yuu apologised, running alongside the dark-haired girl. Mato gave her a quick glance before speeding up her pace. Yuu's tiny body easily caught up. "He really is a nice guy. I don't know why he'd be so aggressive to Rin over attention paid in class." The girl grinned. "He envies you a lot, though - I may or may not have told him stories of Black Rock Shooter and how she changed Otherworld forever."

_That was Mato Kuroi's doing; not mine. Get your details right, Strength._

"Hey." Mato looked to Yuu, who was slightly overtaking her. The demon chasing them was too far away to pose as a danger. "Do you think, maybe, that you and Yomi would like to hang out with me and Kagari after school? Saya's taking a group of us out to check out the campus, and I heard that Underworld Vulcan will be joining us."

_The maid gunner? I thought I killed her back in Otherworld... No, that might've been Infinite Range Maid._

"Ooh, have you seen Dragon Slayer yet? She's really improved with her personality- Not that there was anything wrong with it in the first place; I just meant that she's not as interested in torturing people as she used to be."

_Whoop-di-do_.

The Leaper chasing them sprang forward, closing the distance between them. Running on instinct and remembering that Yuu was with her, Mato scopped up the smaller girl and hurried for the ladder. She made it to the ladder as quickly as she could, avoiding the movements that the Leaper made, and allowed Yuu to climb up first. Protests came from Ryuuji and Rin, both of them displeased that Mato had helped keep Yuu out of harm's way. Mato ignored them, still pissed off over their attitudes toward each other and the girls.

Mato reached the top of the ladder, accepting a helping hand from Yuu as she did so. She made sure to steer clear of Rin and Ryuuji, opting to sit with Yomi and Shiemi while the said boys were climbing down the ladder to begin their training. It wasn't too long into the training that they began to get competitive. Rin began taunting Ryuuji, telling him that smarts won't help him in the real world, and the rooster head replied with a poorly executed flying kick to Rin's leg. It was the same leg Mato had kicked earlier, and she felt the familiar stab of pain return. At least it was nothing compared to her injuries as Insane Black Rock Shooter.

The Leaper charged at the two of them, the boys screaming in terror. Ryuuji's landing left him vulnerable while Rin was still down for the count. Thankfully (if Mato could even consider it like that), the chain around the Leaper's neck was yanked back, pulling the giant, frog-like creature with it. It was dragged back toward it cage as the teacher yelled at Ryuuji and Rin from his high-up post, and it wasn't long until Ryuuji's band of merry men (and Yuu) joined them. The teacher dragged Ryuuji away, lecturing him, while Rin conversed with Ryuuji's friends. Mato tilted her head to the side as she watched them, trying to figure out their conversation.

Ryuuji looked a little deflated as the teacher spoke with him, but Mato didn't care why. He kicked Rin, harming him and, in turn, harming her, and he insulted Rin to the point of denying being friends with Shiemi and Yomi. She really did not like him right now.

A finger tapped her shoulder, earning her attention. She looked up slightly, turning to the right, and spotted the golden eyes of Kagari watching her. She looked so small in the training clothes, the jumpsuit's arms longer than her own. Her long curls had been tied up into a side-ponytail that was held high up on her head, the rest of her hair held up by multiple pins. All that was missing was a crown; then she would look like an out-of-place, snobby princess.

"Why are they fighting?" she asked, voice in its usual deadpan. Mato stared at her, shrugging her shoulders a little as she did so. "Are you and Yomi coming with us?" Another shrug, this time with a nod to the other girl in question. Kagari instantly understood what it meant and walked away with her usual delicate style, her path taking her straight to the green-eyed girl. Mato watched with caution, making sure nothing went wrong, and let out a breath she never knew she'd held when Kagari walked away from a now-smiling Yomi. The smile looked forced, as did the last few since the event at the fountain, but at least Yomi had a chance to make friends with Kagari again.

The boys and Yuu were climbing up the ladder by now, Rin looking a whole lot calmer than before. It seemed that his talk with Ryuuji's friends had calmed him slightly, and that he was most likely thinking over his actions. Mato resisted the urge to scoff; Rin? Think? That'd be the day.

By now the teacher had received a call from his wife, resulting in him leaving in a hurry whilst ordering everyone to stay away from the Leapers. He was gone in a flash, shouting out something about helping his kitten. Mato watched in confusion, noticing that Rin was testing to see if he could walk any closer to her spot. She shot him a glare that said, _You're still in trouble_, then turned her nose up in a very Kagari-like fashion. "Somebody's in trouble," Yuu sang to Rin, grinning at the teen.

Ryuuji was glaring after the teacher, greatly displeased at what he'd just seen. He asked himself if the teacher leaving in the middle of class was even allowed, especially when a dangerous demon was below them, but barely gave anyone time to answer when he scowled and growled, "The fuck was that? And he calls himself a teacher?"

"Bon, it's-" Yuu was quickly cut off as he began to growl even louder.

"I thought True Cross Academy was supposed to be a sacred place of learning, full of people who took their studies seriously!" He sent a hard glare to Rin. "And don't get me started on the students!"

"What was that?" Rin asked casually. "You sure are running your mouth off today. What makes you think I don't take this stuff seriously?"

"The way you act in class!"

Mato rolled her eyes. Here they went again. Shima tried to calm Ryuuji down, but he cut him off and looked down toward the Leaper. "I know," he said to himself. "That thing!"

Rin's eyes followed Ryuuji's finger, landing on the Leaper sitting on its own. He gaze flickered back to the boy in time to see him demand, "Why don't you prove to me that you're serious about becoming an exorcist? Move right up close to that Leaper, and if you can touch it without being attacked, you win." He went on to explain a Leaper's tactics, but all Mato managed to gather from it was, _Keep your emotions in check or you'll be eaten._

How nice.

"If you're planning on becoming an exorcist," Ryuuji went on, "then you shouldn't be scared of a little Leaper, eh? I'll do it, too, of course," he added, jabbing a thumb toward his chest. "If you back it back without being attacked as well, then I'll accept that you've got some proper resolve in you."

_Resolve? _Mato thought, disgusted. _Touching a demon without being harmed has nothing to do with resolve; otherwise, __I'd be cozying up to Rin just to prove my own damn resolve._

"You gonna do it or what?" Ryuuji growled.

Raising his eyebrows and looking mildly interested, Rin replied, "Sounds pretty interesting." Mato looked to him in shock; eyes widened at the thought of him dying right in front of her during their first week of school. How could he be so stu- "But," he added, throwing a glance in Mato's direction, "I'm not going to do it."

Everyone involved in the little bet stared at him in surprise; it seemed that not even Yuu had been expecting his answer. "What if I screwed up and really got myself killed? Mato would die, too, and she's obviously opposed to this," he reasoned. "I'm not stupid; I've got ambitions just like you, after all. I can't go risking my life on a stupid little thing like this."

He looked to Mato for a sign of approval, and she wasn't disagreeing with him. In fact, she was jus staring at him in surprise and pride, pleased that he had least some ability to think things through. Rin seemed satisfied by the stare, turning to walk to her as he joined his hands behind his head. As he walked in her direction, Ryuuji scowled at his friends - it seemed that they'd said something he didn't want anyone to know - and then turned for Rin once more.

"Ambition my ass," he snarled. Rin paused. "You're just scared, _aren't you_?" A pained look passed over Ryuuji's face, and he shouted on, "Why don't you fight? Aren't you bitter at all?"

Rin stared him down, unmoving as Ryuuji screamed at him. Another scowl crossed the boy's features, and then Ryuuji ran for the edge of the area. He announced that he would still go along with the challenge as he slid down to the Leaper, and it soon dawned on Mato that something was wrong when she caught sight of a saddened Yuu. The small girl's bottom lip was trembling, her eyes watching her partner as though begging him to come back and out of harm's way.

Ryuuji stormed in the direction of the Leaper, a determined look on his face. His fists were clenched tightly by his side, the limbs trembling from the muscle strain. "I'm gonna," he said, "defeat Satan!"

An eruption of laughter came from a certain Izumo Kamiki, a snort of, "Is he a kid or something?" escaping her. Kagari laughed also, agreeing with her as she smiled devilishly at the boy.

"That's aiming way too high, for you," she mocked, glancing at Mato. There was the Chariot the girl knew. "Good luck anyway, idiot."

Another pained look passed over Ryuuji, this time reflecting greatly on the small girl's face. Tears threatened to spill over Yuu's eyes, a small squeak escaping her as she said, "Don't laugh at my ambitions."

What happened next was a blur for Mato; all she could remember was the Leaper charging at Ryuuji, mouth wide open as it reached for him, and then the next thing she knew she was panting in front of the boy, the demon laying on its side a little away from them. Her fist and foot cried out in pain, the realisation setting in. She turned around slowly, ready to face the boy, but instead was met by the surprised stare of Rin. Rin stood between the fallen Ryuuji and the panting Mato, seeming about ready to attack the Leaper - that is, if Mato hadn't done whatever the hell it was that she did.

She waved a hand at him, telling him to hurry up with what he was doing, and made her way to the ladder in order to get to Yuu. As she did so, she felt Kagari's icy glare sticking to her back.

* * *

"What's all this, Rin?" Yukio demanded, crossing his arms in front of him. The two girls beside Rin looked up curiously as Mato continued on with her reading, trying to get as much research done as she could. Rin looked up to his brother in frustration, pushing his fringe away from his eyes.

"I'm studying, alright?" he growled. Yukio gasped dramatically, wondering if Rin's studying was some kind of omen. Rin snarled at his brother, releasing the fringe, but was cut off when a clump of hair landed in his eye. "Stupid fringe," he growled. "Maybe I should cut it..."

As he contemplated this, Mato turned a page of her book. She was too engrossed in what she was reading to care, especially when it could possibly help her to understand how she'd moved so quickly yesterday; more so how she'd punched and kicked a Leaper away from the endangered boy. The thing was the size of a car, possibly larger, and it certainly had a lot of strength to be able to jump to Ryuuji in one go. So how did Mato beat it away so easily?

The result of the punch and the kick had been a sprained ankle and a jarred wrist - nothing compared to what would've become of Rin and Ryuuji, she knew. After the class had ended and the pain had settled in properly, Rin had admitted that he'd had no idea what he would do when he made it to Ryuuji. He'd thanked her and even offered to bring her meals if she couldn't walk to the dining hall. Saya had even remarked that it was the friendliest gesture she'd seen Rin offer, more so the most help she'd seen Mato accept from the boy.

She turned another page, hardly noticing the two figures approaching the table. The neat, cursive writing that belonged to Saya made her feel somewhat self-conscious of her own writing skills; the book had been written by the older woman over the course of two years, noting every detail she'd noticed upon arriving. Apparently it had helped quite a few Otherselves to adjust to their new bodies, and had helped them to expect the changes. But Mato only found herself becoming even more confused; there was a section Saya had written with Yukio, explaining how sudden bursts of adrenaline in an exorcist can cause an Otherself to exhibit a fraction of their true strength. It also mentioned that something like this only happened months, even almost a year into the bond, and that the first time this event occurred the exorcist would be left exhausted after battle - more so than usual, according to several statements Yukio had collected.

Another page done, and she moved on to a section about common goals between exorcists and Otherselves. As she began to read the first line, a hand smacked her over the head. Mato looked up, eyes wide as she felt a dumbfounded look spread over her face, and soon realised that the two in front of the table were Yuu and Ryuuji. She blinked, wondering what they wanted, and waited for Rin to demand the same thing.

"You here to make fun of me, too?" Rin asked, grinning a little. Ryuuji stared down at him, unsure of what to say. He was about ready to walk away, but ended up being elbowed in the stomach by Yuu. He glared at her, she pouted at him, and finally he swallowed his pride.

"We missed the chance to say it yesterday," he sighed, "but...thanks."

He reached into the pocket of his trousers and pulled out a hair clip. Reluctant, he handed it to Rin and said, "I use this to keep my hair out of my eyes when I'm studying at night. You can have it."

Both Rin and Mato were surprised, to say the least. Unsure of what to do, let alone say, Rin simply took the clip and stared at it with uncertainty. He finally looked up at Ryuuji, just when the other boy was walking away with Yuu, and muttered, "Is this some kind of omen?"

Ryuuji turned on his heel, shouting at Rin over his comment. Mato rolled her eyes, feeling a small pain in her ankle, and continued on with her reading.


	4. Chapter 4

**Thank you to **Ria Risa**, **wargman**, **Mizuki00**,** xXUmikozenzenXx**, **weasal AKA boundedsumo**,** Blue Dragneel**, **gabby the murderer**, **Amyhip**, **anime-hq-12345**,** Azuregrimoire (guest)**, and **Guest (guest).** We'll be seeing a little more of Yomi and Shiemi this time, and I hope you all enjoy the chapter.**

**Also, as a quick side note, I feel like putting in some kind of Valentine's Day chapter (don't ask why - my mind betrays me sometimes...), although because I'm following the manga I'm not quite sure when to put it in... Maybe at the end of the ExWire exams? I don't know. Still gotta figure it out, though. It could even just end up as a sort of omake at the end of a much later chapter. *Shrugs* Still thinkin' 'bout it. I'm also thinking of putting in an anual True Cross Academy Ball or something - just anything extravagant that Mephisto would organise.**

**And, to stop any confusion, I'd like to point out now that Sascha is Black Matagi. I'm not sure if it would've been confusing to see Igor with some random kid named Sascha, but I'm also not sure if many people would assume that Sascha was Black Matagi from the last chapter...**

* * *

She held the key tightly between her fingers, squeezing her eyes shut as she summoned up her courage. Today was the day - today, Yomi and Shiemi would make a friend. They couldn't keep relying on Rin and Mato, especially when they were trying to be strong, so they needed to get out and make some friends today!

"We can do it," Yomi said to herself, watching Shiemi insert the key into the lock. With a twist of her wrist and a click of the lock, the door opened to reveal the Cram School. It still felt so weird to open the door and go inside, having been used to seeing exorcists come and go through that door whenever they needed supplies. Their legs shook a bit, their kimonos feeling tight around their chests. Yomi sucked in a deep breath and waited for Shiemi to go inside, a small prayer that Grandma Moriyama was watching them.

"I'll try my best to greet everyone properly today," Shiemi told herself, a bit of a shake in her voice. Yomi nodded nervously, pushing her glasses up her nose as she fixed her hair a little. The high ponytail she'd tied it in was pulling at her scalp, and it annoyed her a little.

Shiemi pushed the door open with a deep intake of air, popping her head through in hopes that someone would walk by. She looked to the right - no one was there - and then she looked to the left. Three girls from their class were walking confidently away from her, conversing between themselves over a topic Shiemi couldn't quite hear. Feeling like a bit of an eavesdropper, Shiemi scurried into the hall with Yomi at her heels. She was determined to see if Izumo, Paku, and Kagari would be their friends - Kagarai had invited Yomi to go with her and Yuu for a tour just the other day, so maybe Izumo, Kagari's partner, would feel the same way about Shiemi. It was a rather high hope for the blonde, but it was a starting goal as well.

She hurried toward them, trying to close the distance, and tried to muster a loud, "Hello," before her foot rolled inwards and she tripped over her own shoe. She tumbled down, her bag flying toward the trio ahead, and Yomi soon followed when Shiemi's foot knocked her own. Yomi's glasses went in the same direction as Shiemi's bag, and she could feel the stares of the girls on her as her face turned bright red. She'd never been this clumsy in Otherworld - and she even wore heels there! And a veil! Why was it so hard to walk around in traditional Japanese clothes? Was the real Yomi clumsy? No, she couldn't be... Could she?

Shiemi let out a small, "Ouch," before scurrying for her bag, packing her things back into it as Kagari and Izumo watched them with smirks.

"That was stupid," Kagari laughed, her childish face taking a turn of dark humour. Yomi froze at the sound of Kagari's tone, at the amusement she took from their stumbles, and curled her hands into fists. She couldn't understand it - Kagari was so happy to be with her a few days ago - but now she was making fun of her? That... That wasn't right!

"I'll say," Izumo agreed lightly. "Let's go."

She and Kagari turned on their heels and began to walk off, their friend Paku being the only one to ask if the duo were alright. Paku apologised to the kimono-clad girls quietly and hurried off to her friends' sides, leaving them sitting by themselves. They sat there for a moment, trying to figure out what their next moves would be. It was so hard for the both of them, especially when both had had limitations from their pasts stopping them. Kagari had been Yomi's limitation, while Shiemi's legs had been hers. Neither was sure what to do next, but neither wanted to cry back to Rin's side, either.

As though the thought of his name summoned him, Rin's voice floated over, "What are you guys doing over there?"

Shiemi jumped, breathless, while Yomi turned to look at him sadly. Something must've been given away on her face, as his blue eyes softened and he picked up her glasses, kneeling down as he handed them to her kindly. Yomi blushed slightly, hiding her face behind her hands as she put the spectacles back in their rightful place, and waited for Shiemi to say her piece. It wasn't hard to predict when Shiemi would say something, when she would feel happy, when she would be tired; Saya's lessons on tuning herself with Shiemi had proven to be effective in understanding the blonde better. Yomi could truly see why the two were alike, even if the similarites were minor.

Trying to control her tears and expression, Shiemi stood and announced, "It's nothing!" She hurried for their classroom, Yomi in tow, and the dark-haired girl could feel the confused stares of Rin and Mato on them. She turned to look at them, spotting the raised singular brow on both faces and the half-frown on both lips. She'd been wondering how Rin and Mato were alike, comparing them to her and Shiemi, but saw almost nothing of note. Nothing, save for the emotions that Rin leaked into Mato - the small expressions that appeared every so often whenever he became frustrated or ecstatic. Mato hadn't really been a people person when she'd first seen her - it was so obvious with how awkward she was with Shiemi alone - but the past couple of weeks with Rin must've helped her betray her stoic attitude toward everything. Granted, that betrayal came in the form of punching, kicking, and getting pissed off at Rin, but it was somehing. Probably. Maybe not.

She turned her head away from them, leaving them behind her, and focused on the tasks ahead: Go to class; build up courage; try again with Kagari, Izumo, and Paku. If all else failed, maybe Bon and Yuu would get along with them.

* * *

"Soon you'll break for one and a half months of summer holidays, but before that there is this year's ExWire authorisation exam."

Her head snapped up, a worried feeling passing over her. Exam. That word was bad when it came to Rin. Very, very bad. Mato glanced to her left, spotting him staring at his brother in shock, and felt the dramatic amount of despair he felt wash over her.

"Since its purpose is to provide combat training rather than just make you ExWires," Yukio went on, "the exam won't be easy."

Saya nodded, taking over. "That's doubly true for anyone bonded to an Otherself; you are expected to work together during the exam in order to pass. This will be challenging for those of you who haven't completed a goal yet." Her gaze flickered to Rin and Mato for a moment, right when she'd said it, and Mato felt Rin's urge to throw a chair at the teachers. Or was it her own? Bah, who cared? The feeling was mutual.

"Therefore," Yukio added, "I will be holding a one-week training camp for examinations, starting next week."

_Training camp?_ Mato pouted, leaning on her palm. _Sounds a bit...weird. I wonder if the real Mato had done something like this - minus the demons and the exorcists, of course._

"If you wish to participate in the training camp, please fill in this form with acquisition hope 'Meister' and submit it to me by Monday." Yukio and Saya began to hand out the forms, the older woman sending Mato a wink as she did so. It was pretty obvious how the younger girl was going to go with this, and Saya knew it as well: Brute force and evasive actions. The blue-eyed girl silently wondered to herself what kind of combat training the ExWire exam held, and slowly felt her gaze move around the room. She leaned back in her chair, form in hand, and caught sight of a certain brunette smiling at her excitedly. Mato frowned, turned away, and moved a hand up to touch the hair clips Yuu had leant her a few days ago.

In addition to Bon's gift, Yuu had seen it fit to give Mato a gift as well. The smaller girl had noticed that Mato was also having trouble with her fringe, and had leant her two hair clips to keep her eyes clear. While they weren't exactly Mato's style - (she didn't know about Yuu, but bright pink strawberries looked pretty ridiculous sitting in her hair) - she thanked Yuu anyway and began wearing them to keep her fringe up. She'd grown to like them after the first day, finding the weird smiles the strawberries held to be a little amusing. Rin had laugher at her, though; that was quickly stopped when she punched him in the face the next morning, just before breakfast.

Rin stood from his seat, a quick, "Hey, Mato, come with me for a sec," before he headed off toward Yuu's table. Rolling her eyes, Mato followed obediently.

Once they arrived, Rin held up his form and asked the group, "So what's a 'Meister'?"

Mato's palm flew to her forehead before she could stop herself.

"What?" Bon growled. The girl stared at him as he scolded Rin, trying to figure out why he had such a nickname. "Bon" wasn't a name given out often, and if she didn't know any better, she'd say it was short for "bocchan" - or something along the lines. Did that mean that Bon was a leader somewhere, or even an heir to something? She held in a laugh, her mind conjuring up the image of Bon wearing a frilly prince costume from that ridiculous movie she and Saya watched last night.

The small boy in the group had began to explain what a Meister was, but Mato had managed to memorize them: Dragoon, Aria, Tamer, Doctor, and Knight. She knew exactly which ones she was going to go for, but she needed to make sure Rin didn't go for a Meister that was completely useless. Konekomaru had finished explaining the Meister titles to Rin, the taller boy asking them what they were choosing for theirs. Shima raised his hand with a smile as Konekomaru said, "Shima and I have our eye on Aria. Arias are the type of Meister who recite the Bible and sacred scriptures to fight."

Mato frowned. While the pen was mightier than the sword, she felt that actions would speak much louder than words in regards to exorcism. Why were there even Arias, anyway? From what she'd read about them, they seemed pretty useless. She even prayed at night that Rin wouldn't even consider going for Aria.

"What about Yuu?" Rin asked, turning his attention to the small girl beside Bon. "Are there Otherself powers that work with being a Meister?"

With a nervous laugh, Yuu replied, "I suppose, but my main weapons are my Ogre Arms. They don't really fit into any of the categories; although one of their uses can apply to Dragoon."

"I see," Rin said. He sounded surprised, most likely wondering what Yuu's Ogre Arms were like. Mato knew very well what they were like - the various blows to her face held enough memory back in Otherworld to fill out a biography on them. Konekomaru then went on to what Bon was doing, which earned a growl and a glare from the older boy, and then the conversation moved on to what Dragoons and Knights were.

As this conversation played out, Mato quickly filled out her form with what she wanted to do. Her rock Cannon and Black Blade were enough to fight with, and with her previous experience she had every right to aim high and go for both Knight _and_ Dragoon. Rin filled in his form when he decided he would go for Knight, only to turn his attention to Mato as she began drumming the end of her pen onto the paper. He took the paper before she could top him, his curiosity getting the better of him as he attempted to read it.

Silently demanding he give the form back, Mato jabbed him in the gut as hard as she could. He let out a cough and doubled over, giving her a chance to snatch the paper from him. She heard him mutter, "No fair," as he slumped onto the table, but didn't care to listen to his complaints. As soon as the paper was safely on the table once more, she rubbed her own abdomen in displeasure. Damn human body and its dependance on his own...

Their conversation continued on, and it didn't take long for the rest of the table to find out what Mato was aiming for. Trying to hide her face behind the paper, she listened as Shima let out a low whistle.

"You'll be both beautiful _and_ deadly," he said, flirting with her once more. She glared at him, his smile unwavering, and returned her gaze to the paper.

"Mato is very skilled - she killed many Otherselves back in Otherworld before she was stopped," Yuu said knowingly. Bon paled at the news, unsure of what to think. Rin felt the same, looking to his partner uncertainly before moving his seat toward Konekomaru and Shima.

"I think that came out wrong," Bon told his partner. Yuu thought about her last sentence, smiled in embarrassment.

"Whoops," she laughed. "I meant that she was one of the more powerful Otherselves. She was right up there with Black Gold Saw - our teacher, Miss Irino."

"Wow," Shima marvelled, looking to Mato. The girl ignored him and glanced away from the table, looking to the one they'd left earlier. She couldn't help but feel just a little bit worried for Yomi and Shiemi, especially when they were acting so strange before class. Was something wrong? Were they still upset with Rin? Were they upset with Mato? What had happened?

She heard Rin ask a question about why all Otherselves he'd seen were girls, to which Yuu let out a sound of uncertainty. It seemed that she wasn't sure why the Otherselves were all girls. Mato continued to ignore the table, uninterested in what they talked about, and glued her eyes to the blonde and the Other girl at the front of the class. Both were unmoving, merely looking over their forms in concentration. Mato raised a brow at them, unsure of why the girls hadn't joined them, and returned her gaze to the group when Konekomaru started a conversation with Rin.

"Now that I think about it," he said, "you're always carrying around that sword of yours."

Rin nodded, and Mato could feel a small amount of grief roll onto her. "Yeah," he replied. "It's very important to me." He paused for a moment, glancing at Mato, and it took the girl a few seconds to realise she was staring at him. "It's a gift from someone very dear to me."

They dropped the conversation shortly after, moving on to the topic of Meisters once more.

* * *

"I'll be summoning my familiar now."

The entire class stared at the drawing in awe, taking in the intricate patterns in the circle. Rin took a step forward to get a better look, to which the teacher ordered, "Don't step on the drawing. If you do, the summoning circle is broken and will lose its effect."

Rin slowly took a step back, appearing a bit bashful for what he'd done, and waited for the teacher to go on. Mato observed him - this Ignor Neuhaus - as he rolled up his sleeve, revealing an arm expertly wrapped in bloodied bandages. He explained as he unravelled it, "Your blood and an appropriate appeal is also necessary for a successful summoning."

Igor looked to his partner and daughter, Sascha, and waited as she sliced his hand with a knife from her pocket. Mato watched with a raised brow, wondering why Sascha - Black Matagi, she should say - wasn't bleeding as Igor spilt his own blood onto the chalk seal on the floor. "Son of Typhoeus and Echidna, answer my request and come out!"

As soon as the words left the one-eyed man's mouth, a rather long and rot-scented hand sprang out from the centre of the circle. The students watched in awe as the hand grew longer, a body connected to it, and finally repressed their gags and coughs when the final form stood before them. Mato wasn't sure how to describe it - it was like a dog, but the size of a human. Instead of a snout and fur, it was covered in rotted skin and stitches closing various apparent-wounds. It's face was oval-shaped and unrecognisable as a human one, and a long trail of blood trail of blood was dripping from what Mato assumed was the mouth. Its long, skinny tail droopped as it stood on all-fours, facing the students as it let out a low and hoarse groan.

Shima coughed, remarking how much it stank, while Yuu buried the lower half of her face in her now undone bow. "Is that a Naberius?" Bon marvelled, blocking his nose. Mato couldn't blame him, and neither could Rin - the two blue-eyed teens had lifted their shirts a little bit higher, masking themselves with their collars as Igor went on with his lesson.

"There are an incredibly small amount of humans who can summons demons and make them work as a familiar." He watched the Naberius (that was what Bon had called it, wasn't it?) as he spoke. "Sheer spiritual fortitude is needed to tame the demons, but natural talent is also essential. I'll be testing you now to see if you have the talent."

He seemed to throw a glance at Rin and Mato as he said this, a certain look in his eye as he announced the main lesson goal. Rin watched him in curiosity, having noticed the look as well, while Igor went on, "On the paper I gave you a while ago, drip your own blood where the summoning circle has been roughly sketched, then try to recite any words that come to mind. If you have any concerns for your partner when you do this, please remember that pricking your finger to summon a demon, or even any minor wound to the skin, does not draw blood from your partner; all they will feel is the prick of the wound, and even that is hardly noticable."

Feeling a sense of relief and explanation for Sascha's lack of blood loss, Mato looked down at her paper and took in a deep breath. She and Rin made a move to prick their index fingers and attempt to summon a demon, only to stop when they heard one of the girls announce, "I ask the grace of Inari, God of Harvest, to fulfill my prayers."

At once, two forms began to glow beside Izumo, taking a sort of canine shape. The glow settled, revealing two white foxes landing beside her. Wrapped around the neck of one was a red bow, while the other donned a blue hood. Distinctive black markings were on both their faces, the patterns intriguing to the blue-eyed girl as she watched them.

"Holy crap!" Rin exclaimed, eyes wide as he stared at the creatures. "What are those? They're so cool!"

"Two Byakkos," Igor said, answering Rin's question. He nodded to the red-eyed girl in praise. "Splendid, Miss Kamiki." When he said this, Sascha gave her one single clap, a bored expression on her face. At least she wasn't enthusiastic in congratulating the girl.

Izumo's friend, Paku, tried to do what the purple-haired girl had done, but stared at her paper with a deflated look and told the other girl, "That was great Izumo! I'm really useless at this stuff..."

"Of course!" Izumo flipped her hair over his shoulder, smiling smugly. "I _am_ related to a miko, after all." She then directed her smile to Kagari, waiting for her partner to make an attempt to summon.

Kagari pricked her finger and smeared the blood onto the paper, her eyes widening and glowing a golden hue as she said quietly, "I order you to me, my servant."

Mato felt a bit of nostaligia wash over her as she watched Kagari's familiar come to being, the big beady eyes of Mary, the real Kagari's doll, watching her as her porcelain face smiled at the teen. Mato stared with wide eyes, watching as Kagari lifted the doll's hand and mouthed, "Go home," to her.

No one had had seemed to notice, instead wondering to themselves what use a doll would be to the petite girl. Igor gave the doll a slightly scrutinous look, a glance to Sascha for confirmation on what it was. Sascha looked it over from where she stood, seemingly the only one to have noticed what Kagari had made the doll do. "It's one of Chariot's possessions," she said. "A creature named Mary. She is Chariot's machine, designed like a spider and doll mixed together. I believe its main point of attack is firing rather large macaroons at an opponent." She cast a glance at Mato as she said this, waiting for confirmation. The boys also noticed this look, turning their gazes to the blue-eyed girl. Mato merely offered a nod and waited for Sascha to finish up with her explanation. "I believe it was also destroyed during a conflict between Black Rock Shooter and Chariot."

Igor nodded. "I see," he replied, glancing at Mato. Once again the boys' eyes flew to her in surprise, and she tried her best not to shrink her head to her shoulders in embarrassment. "Very well, then."

The boys then made their attempts, growling to themselves that they had no talent in summoning, while Yuu simply shrugged and smiled with a nervous laugh. Rin gave it a try, frowning when nothing came out, and Mato decided to humour herself and see if she could summon a weapon. She didn't know what she was hoping for - her rock Cannon, maybe? - but she was pretty sure nothing would come out when nothing came to mind in regards to words.

Frustrated, she tore up the paper and crossed her arms in front of her. Stupid summoning class, getting her hopes up for nothing...

"Nuts," Rin grumbled, noticing the obvious tantrum his partner was having. "You, neither?"

She shook her head, turning her attention to the two yet to make an attempt, and almost fell to the floor in shock when she noticed Shiemi and Yomi staring at the uppity girls in awe. Sparkles were in their eyes, practically, and Mato could almost feel the build up of hope emitting from the girls. Shiemi looked down to her paper, pricking her finger nervously, and muttered something along the lines of, "Come out, wherever you are." Nothing happened for a moment, the girl's hope vanishing for only a second, but in that second something happened to earn almost everyone's attention. (Of course, Kagari and Izumo refused to watch.)

A tiny swirl of green zipped out of her paper, curling up into a palm-sized ball before opening up to reveal what appeared to be a little moss-covered person. It looked like a doll, for a lack of better description, with varying shades of green covering it and pink and orange flowers for eyes. A small leaf sat atop its head, giving it the appearance of wearing a hat.

"Nii!" it announced to Shiemi. Yomi stared at it in awe, a wide smile on her face as the little creature began to climb up Shiemi's hair to rest on her head.

"That's a Greenman," Igor remarked, rubbing his chin in thought. "Wonderful, Miss Moriyama."

Shiemi beamed and looked to Yomi, waiting for her partner to give it a whirl, and watched as the tall girl smeared her blood onto the paper. Yomi muttered something under her breath, too quiet for Mato to hear, but she knew it worked - the glow from Kagari's eyes had moved to Yomi's the familiar orbs of Dead Master becoming much more clearer.

Almost instantly, a soft glow engulfed her. It faded quickly, it's shape rather predictable to Mato, and she waited for Sascha to begin her explanation to Igor. While only one of Yomi's Skulls had been summoned, it still felt a little bit anticlimatic that the usually-deadly ramming weapon was the size of a fist. It hovered around Yomi's head, green light glowing from its eyes and mouth, and finally rested on Yomi's shoulder affectionately. Mato raised an eyebrow, unsure of what to make of the scene.

"The Skull Yomi summoned is a powerful ramming weapon," Sascha explained. "It's capable of attacking with both brute force and near-impossible speed, and on occasion can use dead bodies around them to form a larger body to attack with. While it appears to be made from fragile material, it's rather tough to destroy." Once again she looked to Mato for confirmation, and once again she only offered a nod.

"Very good," Igor praised, nodding at the girl. Yomi, copying Shiemi, beamed at her work, and the two looked to Izumo and Kagari for recognition. This wouldn't end well, Mato knew.

Shiemi blushed a bit as she began to stutter out, "M-Miss Kamiki, Miss Izuriha... We summoned familiars, too."

Hardly missing a beat, Izumo stood in a hands-on-hips position and replied both sarcastically and venomously, "Oh, good for you. They're so surprisingly tiny. And cute, just like a little speck."

Unable to detect the sarcasm, Shiemi stuttered out a loud "thank you" as Yomi looked away in embarrassment and shame. One day, Mato thought, she was going to punch that girl in the face. _And_ kick her while she was down. Screw human society rules - she was going to go Otherworld on her prissy little-

"There seems to be a bumper crop of Tamer prospects this year," Igor cut in, severing Mato from her daydream. "There are only a few Tamers among the exorcists who can control demons and fight. They're pretty valuable.

"Demons never follow humans that are weaker than themselves, and they are especially keen on attacking those that lack confidence. But, like I said before, if the summoning circle is broken the familiar is relieved of its post and disappears. If you feel like you're in danger and you've summoned a familiar with paper, just tear the paper up."

At that, Igor ended his lesson.

The class filed out, Izumo and her clique before everyone else, and Mato couldn't help but notice the speed Shiemi and Yomi moved at the catch up with them. She frowned, wondering what the hell was going on, and stuck back with Rin and the guys.

"Damn," Bon sighed. "None of us can summon anything, and neither can our partners..."

"Kind of a bummer," Rin agreed. "Mato and I haven't even achieved any goals to unlock anything yet."

Bon patted him on the shoulder with a laugh. "It's tough, trust me." He looked down to Yuu, who was happily skipping along in front of them, and added, "The trick is to get on the same emotional level as your partner. At least, that's what Yuu told me."

Hold on... Yuu knew more than she was letting on about bonds? Saya hadn't even told them about emotional connection, and yet Yuu was able to tell Bon that they needed to be on the same wavelength to achieve their goals? That couldn't be right...

They turned a corner, spotting the two garden girls walking with the uppity girls. Both held bags that obviously weren't theirs, and both were smiling (although Yomi's was more uncertain than Shiemi's). Mato tilted her head to the side, even more confused than before, and jumped when Rin muttered, "What the? Shiemi and Yomi have turned into Eyebrows and Princess's servants..."

"Eyebrows?" Konekomaru inquired, right when Yuu laughed, "Princess?"

"They're just playing," Bon said, clearly disinterested. Mato could only hope he was right - or else that beatdown may come sooner rather than later.

Unfortunately, Bon was proven dead wrong about the situation. All throughout the week Izumo and Kagari asked for things - demanded, actually - and the garden girls obeyed without question. At first they were full sentences, nearly paragraphs of demands, but Mato soon noticed that the girls were shortening their demands to single words. She'd even heard Izumo demand of Shiemi, "Melon bread, fruit milk," and Shiemi just obeyed without another thought.

Something was going on, and Mato was going to get to the bottom of it.

* * *

She tapped her foot on the step impatiently, arms crossed in front of her. They were going to be hosting the ExWire exams in the dorm Yukio had allocated to himself, his brother, and the girls, and Mato was becoming more and more impatient by the minute. It didn't take long to arrive at the building, Mato knew, so she couldn't help but feel a little annoyed that no one had arrived yet.

Saya placed a hand on her shoulder, stopping her foot tapping, and shook her head with a sigh. Mato knew she was tired of the girl's impatience, but she _really _needed to see what was going on with Yomi and Shiemi.

The boys were just as bored and impatient, Rin seated by himself as he stared ahead with a blank expression. Half of her annoyance was coming from him, and it wasn't fair that Saya was only stopping her from expressing it with her foot.

"They've totally become their bitches," Rin said out of nowhere, surprising Saya and Yukio. Neither of them had any idea what he was talking about, but Mato did.

After another moment of silence, Rin spoke up again. "Seriously, is there really any point to having a camp session in the dorms?"

"Well, it's good that the dorm members aren't here," Yukio replied. Rin thought about it for a second.

"Oh, yeah," he said. "This dormitory is pretty quiet, almost like no one's here."

"I just said... There isn't."

"There isn't?"

"We're the only ones living here," Saya joined in. "Didn't you realise that? This is the former Upper-Division boys' dormitory. The normal students live in the new, nicer dorm." She blinked, glancing at Mato with a frown. "I still think that shirt is too big for you."

Mato pouted and looked down at the shirt she'd "borrowed" from Rin; it was nice and large, big enough to ward off the cold, and stopped midway between her thigh and knees. The design was a simple long-sleeved shirt with baby blue colouring; the decal of a single tiny bird was on the chest, its wings covered in various colours. It felt oddly familiar to her - probably why she'd grabbed it in the first place.

"Ah, here they are."

All eyes looked up, wandering over to the students approaching the building. Mato immediately drew her attention to the garden girls behind the uppity girls, noticing Shiemi happily take Izumo's bag from her. She felt her eyebrow twitch, annoyance biting at her skin. The garden girls passed her without so much as a glance, following the two uppity girls inside.

It wasn't long until Yukio and Saya threw the exams onto them, and they all spent the next two hours filling out their papers. Mato could feel the exhaustion coming from Rin, and it was obvious that Yuu and Bon were reaching their limit; Kagari and Izumo appeared in their element, and Shiemi and Yomi were completely silent during the two hours, focusing completely on their papers.

Yukio checked his watch right when Mato felt she was going to flop onto the table, and he announced, "Time's up. Please flip your worksheets and pass them around."

Everyone obeyed, and the moment Rin flipped his paper over he stood and said, "I'm just gonna go...get some air..."

Mato immediately followed, hearing Bon say something about Rin's idea being a good one, and let out a breath as the two made their way to the kitchen area. The walk was slow and neither could stay in a straight line; Mato found it a wonder that they didn't knock each other over on the way! The moment they arrived, Rin opened the fridge and pulled out two juices boxes, throwing one to Mato before opening his own. Silence settled over them for a moment as they sipped at the juices, taking their time to relax, and it wasn't until Mato hurriedly finished hers that Rin decided to ask a question.

"Hey, Mato," he said. She looked at him, the empty juice box held over the bin beside the fridge. "Is there some kind of bad history between you and Kagari?"

The moment he said the blonde's name, Mato tightened her grip on the box and squished it in her fist, her eyes widening as she gave him a look that begged if he were serious. How hard was it to notice that Mato hated Kagari with a fiery passion?

Rin frowned. "Thought so. I always get kinda shitty whenever we see her..."

She released her grip on the juice box and let it drop into the bin, frowning a bit. So emotion sharing worked both ways, eh? Well, at least now she knew Rin felt her anger toward his recklessness; she hoped that that would stop him from being an idiot in the future. "Let's go back, yeah?" Rin said, pulling out two more juice boxes. He'd finished his own, chucking it across the room and dunking it into the bin, and then chucked one of the new ones to Mato. This one was a different flavour, one she'd come to enjoy over the week she'd been in the human world: Orange. Something about the sour, tangy taste worked for her, and it tasted exactly like the fruit it came from - rather different from apple juice and pineapple juice, in her opinion.

The two walked out of the kitchen area casually, taking their time to return to the area everyone was studying in. Mato's mind began to wander, as it usually did whenever she walked the halls of the dorm, and she found herself wondering if anyone else had figured out the little two-way emotion sensing she and Rin were doing every so often. She had no doubt that Bon and Yuu would've figured it out, especially when she considered how much the two contrasted in personalities yet appeared to be two sides of the same coin. Kagari and Izumo probably hadn't gotten it yet - the two were probably so alike that they couldn't tell whose personality was whose. Yukio and Saya? Well, since Saya had written so much detail into that journal, it was obvious that the two would've encountered the nifty ability in their two years together. When Mato's thoughts drifed to Yomi and Shiemi, though...

According to Yukio and Saya, the garden girls hadn't known they'd been bonded until Saya properly explained it all to them, and even then they had found it hard to take in at once. They'd shielded it so well at school, though, and had even come to Rin and Mato for tips on how to better understand each other. Mato had scoffed at the question, thinking of how standoffish she and Rin were toward each other. In what universe did the two know each other like good friends? In what universe did they know each other without a God damned bond keeping Mato alive?

Rin slowed down a bit, letting out a confused hum, and it was then that Mato began to pay attention again. She blinked, looking to the direction Rin was staring, and found that they were outside the bathrooms. Standing before them were Yomi and Shiemi, deflated expressions on their faces. Just as Mato began to piece what was happening together, Rin asked them what they were doing. Yomi was quick to reply with a smile that they were going to get fruit milk, attempting to lead Rin away from what they were really up to, but it failed when Mato crossed her arms in front of her and raised a dark brow.

"Will you two just stop that?" Rin growled, frowning at them. Yomi flinched, took a step back, and tried to ask what he meant. Rin cut her off with another growl. "You acting like bit-" He cut himself off, thinking of a better term to use than "bitches". "I mean, you're being errand runners! It's weird!"

"We're not errand runners," Shiemi tried. She went on to explain that she and Yomi were friends with Izumo and Kagari, but all that earned was Rin cutting her off once more.

"_You're not helping her_!" His tone was loud and contained a very evident growl, causing even Mato to flinch when she heard it. Rin didn't seem to notice, and went on, "Do you seriously believe you're helping her? Do you really think that?"

Horrified, Shiemi began to slowly pass them with her eyes locked with Rin's. "I'm always... We're always hiding behind someone and being helped! I'm sick of it!" Tears welled up in her eyes; Yomi began to follow her. "I want us to be strong and to help someone! Izumo and Kagari are the first friends we've made!"

The two girls looked to each other before suddenly dashing away from the blue-eyed teens, Shiemi yelling something about Rin always being strong and having friends. Confused by her sudden outburst, Rin grabbed Mato's hand and sped off in pursuit of the fleeing girls. It didn't take long for them to catch up, and when they were within arm's reach Rin let go of Mato and attempted to grab the garden girls. Mato stumbled to a stop, her human legs too slow compared to Rin's demonic speed.

_I really need to exercise,_ she thought to herself, taking a quick break. _Then again, killing demons keeps you on your toes and builds up strength. I won't be facing demons for a while, though. Screw it, I can just wake up an hour earlier and jog around outside._

As she debated this to herself, Rin and the girls ran further down the hall and almost out of sight. It wasn't until they were close to the end of the hall that Rin caught the girls by their kimonos, and even then he didn't have a good grip on them. Mato stood up straight, ready to approach them, but stopped in surprise when a trio of screams reached her ears.

The screams had come from where they'd seen the garden girls, from the bathrooms, and immediately Mato switched to instinct. Barely giving Rin and the girls enough time to register whose screams were whose, she sped off back the way she came in hopes that she would get there in time.

* * *

Izumo couldn't stop panicking - Paku was injured, Kagari wasn't strong enough to combat a ghoul yet, and the Otherself barely had room to summon Mary. She was at a loss! All she could think to do was summon her Byakkos; that was _all_ she could do right now! But it was enough. It had to be enough.

"I ask the grace of Inari, Goddess of Harvest," she recited. Kagari took a step back as the two white fox spirits appeared by Izumo's side, watching them with an unsure expression. Kagari could feel the panic and the uneasiness inside her partner, and after what Igor had taught them she wasn't entirely sure it was wise to summon a familiar at this point.

Izumo was ready to sic the familiars onto the demon, ready to give a command, but stopped short when she remembered the last thing Paku had said to her: _That doesn't make sense. I don't like someone who makes a fool out of earnest people._ Izumo let out a small breath, her eyes glued to the unconscious girl on the floor. Paku had said that; _Paku_ had said that. She had said she was leaving Izumo alone in the Cram School, that she wasn't happy with how she was acting toward the idiot girls who followed them everywhere. How was she supposed to act? She didn't like them, so why should she be nice to them? It didn't make sense!

One of the Byakkos turned to her, its black eyes locked on her form. "_Why doest thy heart be in that state?_" it asked, voice in a low rumble. "_Thou is not worthy of me!_"

Before Izumo could react, the familiar pounced and moved in for the attack. She watched in horror and panic as they rushed at her, and felt her worries double when Kagari jumped in front of the girl to take the blow. Kagari would be hurt instead of Izumo, and the last thing she wanted was to lose another friend.

She was about to scream for Kagari to get out of the way, to get out of harm's way, but was cut off before she could even think of doing it. A blur of dark hair sped toward them, knocking away the Byakkos and standing in front of the girls protectively. Izumo blinked, trying to register what had happened, and soon recognised the person in front of them. Mato held her hands up in fists, ready to fight the familiars if they dared to come at them again.

"Tear up the paper!" Izumo looked to the left, to the source of a new voice, and spotted Rin running inside and almost out of breath. At her confused look, he repeated his sentence and looked to Kagari. The blonde realised what he was saying and snatched the paper from her partner, ripping it in half as soon as she got a hold of it. Izumo dropped to the ground in shock, unsure of what to make of the situation, and watched as the two Byakkos vanished into thin air.

Mato charged forward, attacking the ghoul and trying to drive it away from the girl on the floor. Rin shouted out for her, right when two more people entered the room. Izumo looked over in surprise, spotting Yomi and Shiemi hurrying to Paku's side. Shiemi ordered Rin to keep the ghoul busy while she and Yomi helped Paku, and Izumo couldn't help but feel useless in that moment.

Just as the ghoul had swatted Mato away, the teen crashing into a row of lockers as she flew across the room, Rin advanced and attempted to attack without drawing his sword. He managed to push it away from the unconscious Paku and the girls trying to help her, but at the sound of a rather strange groan he paused, trying to figure out what he had heard. As the hand clamped around his head tightly and flung him into the next room, Rin swore the ghoul had moaned out, "_Prince..._"

He landed on the ground with a grunt, the air rushing out of him as he felt shattered glass dig into his back and arms. The ghoul was beginning to approach him, reach out for him, but stopped when someone jumped onto the back of it and began beating one of its disfigured heads. As Rin attempted to stop the swirling in his head and ignore the pain in his back, he managed to place a name to the frustrated face: Mato. The girl punched the demon over and over, grunting with each hard blow she delivered, but paused in shock when two of the ghoul's four arms reached around and clasped her own arms in a vice-like grip. Before she could react, she was thrown at Rin violently and collided with the boy in a tumble of limbs. They crashed into a small sitting area, Rin's head hitting the edge of the block harder than he'd like.

The girls had been watching the entire fight, Kagari panicking as Izumo did. They needed to do something, but she couldn't figure out what she could possibly do! She watched helplessly as Rin and Mato scrambled to the feet in an attempt to escape the ghoul, watched as the demon grasped the back of Rin's shirt and threw him to the ground. Kagari ground her teeth in frustration as she watched it begin to choke Rin, swatting Mato away at the same time before punching Rin in the stomach. Both of them pulled pained expressions, Mato curling into a ball to try and regain her breath. But Kagari knew she wouldn't - by the time the ghoul would be done with Rin, Mato would be dead as well.

"Yomi!" she yelled, looking to the green-eyed girl by Paku. Yomi looked up in curiosity, spotting Mato and Rin in their current predicaments as she did so, and looked to Kagari for some sort of order on what to do. "Summon the Skull!" Kagari dashed for Izumo's locker, fishing around for a piece of paper with a summoning circle on it, and held it out for Yomi to take. The taller girl was on her feet in seconds, dashing over and summing the Skull as quick as she could. By the time the small ramming weapon appeared, Mato was close to losing consciousness as the ghoul tightened its grip on Rin.

Feeling her frustration go, fueling it with the fact that they could lose Paku, could lose their own classmates, Kagari snatched the floating Skull and hurled it at the ghoul. The strength in her arms was much greater than usual, the Skull hitting the ghoul harder and faster than she'd anticipated, and she felt a small grin form on her face as the ghoul was flung off of Rin and into the wall behind the boy. Rin sat up as quickly as he could, as did Mato, and the two coughed loudly until they could get a decent breath of air into their lungs. As they did this, Kagari kept her eyes open for the Skull, hoping she hadn't smashed it against the ghoul's skin. When the signature green glow of the Skull showed up in her vision, she let out a breath and prepared to hurl it again.

Just as the ghoul was ready to pounce again, three shots rang out before Saya entered their vision, her King Saw aimed at the ghoul as she slashed and rammed the demon into fleeing. All eyes went to the direction of the shots as she did, Rin feeling a bit of relief at seeing his younger twin aiming his gun at the ghoul. A small trail of smoke exited the barrel, a sure sign that he was the one who had shot the ghoul.

A window above Rin smashed, more glass raining down on him as he noticed the absence of groaning and rotting flesh. He turned around, confirming the demon was gone, and stood up shakily when Saya withdrew her King Saw and rushed over to Paku. Rin's first instinct was to check on Paku, to see if Shiemi had dressed the wound properly and to see if everyone was okay, but he found himself rushing to his partner's side.

Mato was crouched down on all fours, breathing heavily and keeping her head bent, and it was only now that Rin realised the pain of what had just happened was now settling in for her. A tense feeling at the back of his mind made him approach her faster, his mind racing with the thoughts, _I could've died. We could've died. I was so scared._ These weren't his thoughts, though - not right now, at least.

"Mato?" he said, kneeling down in front of her. He placed a hand on her shoulder, hoping she would respond. She did, to his surprise, but it wasn't in the way he'd been expecting. Her arms wrapped around him before he had a chance to move, her face buried in his chest and her entire body shaking from the experience of fighting a ghoul. He wasn't sure how to react - Rin wasn't exactly one to comfort someone when they were down - but something told him all he needed to do was be there and just let her know it was over for now.

That's exactly what he did; as everyone fussed over Paku and Shiemi, as well as Kagari and Yomi, Rin returned Mato's shaky embrace and waited for the girl to calm down.

* * *

**Aw... I liked writing that last bit - don't know why, but it just gave me this happy feeling. Not the fight where Rin and Mato were pretty much ragdolls the ghoul threw everywhere - more like the bit were Kagari ignored Izumo's hesitation and threw Yomi's familiar at the ghoul. HA! I can just imagine what Yomi would say if she found a crack.**

**Yomi: "I know you saved Mato and Rin by throwing it, but... You cracked my Skull."**

**Kagari: "So? What's so bad about that? It's been broken before in Otherworld."**

**Yomi: "Yes, but you cracked it with a _ghoul's ass._ Big difference!"**

**Lol, no... Anyways, I'll see you all at the next chapter.**

**(Holy banana bread, I have twenty-six favourites and twenty-three follows - and eighteen reviews! I feel so happy that you guys like my story ^.^ I'll be sure to update ASAP!)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello, again! I've been trying to update other stories, but I find myself drawn back to this one. I hope you all enjoy this chapter.**

**Thank you to **Ria Risa **(I'll update the Quotev one soon, worry not ^^"), **Mizuki00**, **FloraFaveXNara-Wire**, **Elhijueputa**, **Blue Dragneel**, **gabby the murderer**, **Bleachlover119 (guest)**, **dreamyyelli**, **amelia831**, **JDH1080**, and **Guest (guest)**.****  
**

**(I've become obsessed with Blue Exorcist amvs containing the song Let It Burn...)**

* * *

She fixed her coat three times, frowning to herself as she did so. She wanted to look presentable, to look professional, but right now all she felt was unsettled and paranoid. She knew Mephisto wouldn't give her a straight answer, but she was sure he'd at least give her an answer. She just had to ask the right question, and be as direct as possible.

The doors opened, the assistant telling her she could go inside, and immediately her mind turned to mush. _What do I say? How do I approach him? Will he ignore me or take my question into consideration? When is he going to ask me to dinner again?_

She paused at the doorway, thinking over that last one. Now was not the time to be thinking about the dinner last week! Now was not the time to be thinking of dinner at all! But still her mind wandered as she traveled inside, her eyes locking on to the Honorary Knight. The forest green orbs seemed to brighten at the sight of her, but his usual smirk betrayed nothing of what he was thinking. She felt her cheeks heat up at the sight of the smirk, thankful the foundation on her face was covering the redness of her cheeks.

Mephisto went to stand, to greet her with open arms, but she held up a hand and painted a rather fierce expression on her face, hoping to convey what she'd come to see him for in one powerful look. The purple-haired man sat down uncertainly, the smirk still present, and instead began to greet her. "It's a pleasure to see you-" he began.

"I didn't come here to have a friendly chat, Sir Pheles," she cut in. "I came here to get answers."

The first thing he responded with was, "Oh, so _formal_," followed by a cheeky, "Go on; ask away."

_Deep breaths_. "The ghoul that attack the Cram School students," she said. "Did you have anything to do with it?" She knew asking the question like this would ruffle his feathers, but she needed him to know how important the answer was to her.

If Mephisto was displeased, he wasn't showing it. "I'll have you know that I only just found out about the ghoul attack today."

_A lie_, she thought.

"And, in case you've forgotten, I care deeply about the safety of my students. Should any kind of harm befall them due to a mistake in my system, there will be no mercy for the perpetrator."

_That much is true_, she told herself.

"Am I to understand that you are accusing _me_ of setting the ghoul upon Miss Paku, Miss Kamiki, and Miss Izuriha?"

She gulped, unsure of what to say. Her fierce expression was gone, now replaced by one of guilt and embarrassment. Why had she even suspected he would set it loose? Why had she even suspected him at all? It wasn't like he was suspicious - not all the time, at least. And he really did care for his students; he'd even destroyed a hobgoblin last month in hopes to keep unknowing students safe. Why did she suspect him, then?

"I..." She had to swallow her pride for this one, and by God it hurt to do so. "I'm so-"

"You needn't apologise." What?

"Sir?"

"You heard me," he replied in an all-knowing tone. "Besides, I don't blame you; I haven't exactly given you a reason to put faith in my rather...mysterious actions."

Once again she looked away in embarrassment. At least he knew why she suspected him - it didn't mean she knew why she herself did.

His chair was pushed out, the sound surprising her as she looked up again. He was walking toward her, a calm smile on his face and a gloved hand reaching for her, and all she could do was stand frozen on her spot. The hand cupped the cheek hiding a recent bruise, a small pain hitting her at the affectionate gesture, and immediately Mephisto told her, "You need to be a little more careful when you fight; you know as well as I do that Otherselves don't heal as fast as they usually would in this world."

She couldn't stop herself from leaning into his hand, a small frown on her face at the practical scolding he'd just given her. He was right, though; she needed to show more caution in her fighting. "Of course," she replied. "I'll be sure to keep my eyes open a bit more."

"Good." He lowered the hand, smiling down at her smugly. Mephisto knew exactly how he made her feel, but he never used it to his advantage - only smiled at her as though to say, "I know you like me; don't deny it." It annoyed her at times, but it was that smug smile that just made her melt on the inside and want to leave the room in a hurry. "Is there anything else?"

"No, Sir Pheles." She bowed and turned on her heel, hoping to leave quicker than she'd entered, but was stopped when he called out to her. She froze, right in front of the door, and she couldn't stop asking herself why she wasn't just leaving.

"My assistant will give you a letter with details for our next outing," he informed her, walking to his seat. "I look forward to another dinner with you, you know."

She smiled despite herself, turned to face him. "I look forward to it, as well, Mepshito." At that, she opened the door, closed it behind her, and met the gaze of an obviously jealous assistant. Ignoring her, she took the lilac envelope and walked out of the room, feeling her lips tug up into a smile as she read her name on the front, the letters written in Mephisto's trademark childish cursive.

* * *

_I wonder how Mato's doing... I haven't been feeling any sadness lately, so maybe she's okay? Eh, but what if I'm wrong? What if she's just shoving it back and acting tough? Wait... Why am I worrying so much!?_

Rin paused his movements, his toothbrush hovering over a canine as he tried to think of why he'd be worried about the silent and cool Mato. Maybe it was the way she'd acted after she and Rin were almost killed by the ghoul? But she was fine when she'd taken Kagari and Izumo out of the room... Maybe it was nothing - maybe Rin was just babying her over one small thing.

He went to continue on with his brushing, trying to clear his head, only to be stopped by someone tapping his shoulder lightly. His blue eyes trailed down, spotting the form of Kagari herself, and he raised a brow in question before spitting the now-frothy toothpaste into the basin in front of him. Kagari waited until he was done to give him what was in her other hand. At first Rin wasn't sure what it was; and then he caught sight of the tiny bird decal on the fabric. Was that... That wasn't his shirt that Mato stole, was it?

_Had Mato carried Kagari out of the bathroom half-naked!?_

He choked on his own breath before Kagari even had a chance to speak, clearing his mind of such a thought. The last thing he needed was to be walking around and thinking about Mato carrying Kagari around like a doll and without a shirt on...

Damn it! He was doing it again!

"If you're done," Kagari broke in, severing him from his thoughts. "I'd like to return these. Izumo didn't want to come, and I don't know where Mato is."

Rin blinked, unsure if he'd heard right. "You were looking for Mato?" he said. She nodded. "She's sleeping in her room, I think. She hasn't come out since last night, at least."

Kagari nodded in response, then said, "Can you take me to her? I want to thank her in person."

_Thank her?_ Keeping the question to himself, Rin took the shirt (and the one he'd given Izumo, which was hidden underneath the one Mato had given Kagari) and led the small girl toward Mato's room. He kept quiet throughout the entire walk there, mind whirring with possible reasons as to why Kagari would be thanking Mato. It wasn't as though they liked each other - Mato confirmed that last night before they ended up saving her - but the way Kagari acted suggested they didn't exactly hate each other, either. It was a little confusing, but he knew he just had to go with it until he could get a straight answer. Sticking his nose into this particular business would get him nowhere, he figured.

The room appeared in moments, the door slightly ajar and with little light streaming out. Mato had made sure to close the curtains when she'd hid in her room, and Rin hadn't bothered to open them again when he'd checked on her later on. It seemed that she still hadn't opened them, as he'd have been seeing just a little bit more light in there if she had.

He knocked on the door once, pushing it open to let Kagari in. "Mato," he said. "We're here to check on you."

There was no movement in the room, but he could see her figure sprawled out on one of the top bunks. She was facing away from them, keeping herself tucked into a ball and on her side.

"Mato," Kagari took over. "I came to thank you." When the other girl didn't move, Kagari went on, "I know we're practically enemies, but I appreciate what you did to keep Izumo's and my pride intact. I know you'd want nothing more than to see me suffering, but I really am grateful that you-"

A loud thud cut her off, the sound coming from Mato's spot. In a panic, Rin switched on the light and rushed over to her, checking to see what had happened. Mato's fist had connected with the wall, the arm trembling over the pressure she was applying, and a small crack in the plastering was evident from under her knuckles. She wanted Kagari out, and she wanted her out now.

"I think you should go, Kagari," he advised the blonde. "Mato's not in a good mood right now."

Hardly missing a beat, Kagari told him, "I understand. But still, thank you." And at that she turned on her heel and left the room calmly, acting as though nothing had happened. Once she was out of sight and out of an earshot, Rin let out a breath and turned to frown at Mato.

"She was just thanking you," he growled. "I know you hate her guts, but she _did_ help you and I last night. If she hadn't thrown that Skull, we'd both be in worse shape than what we got away with. I'd say, even with the history you share, accepting her thanks is at least enough gratitude you can give her."

The girl didn't respond, merely lowered her fist in defeat and laid still once more. Rin shook his head in disgust, displeased at how she'd treat someone who wanted to thank her, and climbed down the ladder to make his leave. He chucked the shirt with the bird decal onto the bottom bunk, leaving it for Mato to take, and reached for the door with a frown still on his face. He pulled it open, took a step out, and as he closed it, he could've sworn he'd heard a new voice mutter: "Sorry, Rin."

* * *

It was good to know that Paku was okay and that she'd be ready to go back to school in a matter of days, but Rin still felt that little bit of worry in the back of his mind, making him scatter his thoughts and leave him unsure of everything.

Why had that ghoul attacked? Yukio and Saya had explained what the clown could do to demons inside the school; so how did it so easily get in, attack, and then escape? It didn't make sense! And what did it mean, "someone had ordered it to attack"? That part made the least sense!

No... That wasn't the part that made the least sense... What made the least sense was when it called him "Young Lord". Was that how all demons saw him? As their young lord?

He'd thought that maybe Satan had sent the ghoul - it'd be the only explanation, considering the bastard had tried to send Rin to Gehenna the first time they'd met. But the ghoul had said that it was going on another man's orders. But who would attack him? Who knew Rin was the son of Satan?

_"All kinds of people will undoubtedly come after you for various reasons."_

Great advice, Father. It would've been even better if Rin knew why people were after him...

Rin scowled to himself. "Damn it," he growled. "Why can't they just face me themselves?"

Out of nowhere, a blonde head popped into his view, bright green eyes smiling at him as a light voice sang, "Rin!"

Shocked and caught off guard, the boy lifted his head as fast as he could; their foreheads collided, and Shiemi let out a pained scream as Rin yelped in shock. Both brought their hands to their foreheads, forgetting the other was there for just a moment.

Rin was the first to acknowledge that Shiemi was there, scolding her straight away. "D-Don't suddenly stick your head right over me like that!" He resisted the urge to say, "Dumbass," as well.

"Don't suddenly lift your head up like that!" she replied with a wail. "Stupid Rin!"

It took Rin a moment to realise that her familiar, Nii, was still floating about and hanging around her. So Shiemi hadn't sent it back yet... Maybe she really wanted to keep the little Greenman around for company whenever Yomi wasn't around? Speaking on Yomi-

"I heard screaming! What happened?"

Before Rin could even wonder where she was, the spectacled girl came into view and hurried over to Shiemi's side, rubbing her forehead in panic. Rin soon remembered that Yomi had felt the pain of the colliding heads, and began to wonder if he'd be facing Mato's annoyed wrath when he went back inside. He'd be in big trouble if that were the case, but he was certain he could hold his own against her. Or maybe she would remember that every blow she dealt to him, she dealt to herself? Maybe...

Rin rubbed his forehead one final time before gazing up at the green-eyed girls, spotting the large basket Shiemi held and the bundled-up sheet in Yomi's hands. "What're you guys doing out here?" he said slowly.

"We're bringing everyone's sheets up here to dry," the girls replied in unison, beaming at him. Rin raised a curious brow.

"Need a hand?"

Yomi was quick to decline, stuttering out a reply about Shiemi and herself being able to do it themselves. Nii let out a small sound of agreement, exclaiming its name, and floated over to Shiemi's shoulder. Just a tad confused, Rin lowered the eyebrow and muttered a small, "I see," under his breath, then made his way toward the ladder in silence. Sometimes the girls were a little strange, especially since they'd joined the Cram School. Then again, Rin hadn't known them very well before they'd joined the classes.

At that thought, a realisation came to mind. Before he began to climb down the ladder, he turned to them and let out a breath. "You guys...aren't actually trying to become exorcists, right?" he asked, hoping he didn't sound rude.

Shiemi jumped, taken aback by his question, but still looked away in embarrassment and replied, "I'm not sure..."

Quick to add on, Yomi said, "We'd like to at least be useful to everyone, too."

"Too?" That confused him a bit more than before...

They nodded, Shiemi taking over once more. These girls were really in tune to each other, he realised. It was as though they were one person, and that they knew the other better than they knew themselves. He wondered how long it had taken them to get to this stage, and whether he and Mato would ever learn about each other enough to reach the girls' level. As he thought this, he hurriedly realised he was tuning out of the blonde's explanation, catching one sentence by the time he paid attention again: "So we're starting the washing!"

The girl was smiling widely, proud of this fact, while Yomi nodded in agreement and took another sheet from the basket. Rin let out a breath once more, not sure if he was satisfied with the answer he had been given (even if he hadn't heard most of it), and left them to go to class.

* * *

This was new; for once, Rin was paying attention to his class. Was it the fact that this class happened to involve first-hand experience with demons, or was it the fact that one of Mato's old acquaintances co-taught the class? Either way, Rin was paying attention!

And it freaked her out a bit...

Igor was giving a lesson on summoning circles, as per usual, but something was a bit off. It wasn't something to do with his lesson or the teacher himself, but the students learning in the room. Something wasn't right, and Mato wasn't entirely sure what it was. Hoping that it was just a bad feeling she was getting, she scribbled down a quick note that Igor had mentioned, keeping her eyes on the chalkboard as he drew up a complicated circle. The man was obviously well-versed in summoning circles, and knew exactly how to draw each individual one. It was almost a shame Mato was unable to summon creatures and weapons, or else she'd be practicing her drawing skills every night in order to perfect this exorcism trait.

The man turned to the class, explaining why he hadn't finished a certain array on the board, and called upon Izumo to finish it. He called for her once, and all eyes fell to her. The girl was paying him no mind, staring blankly at her equally blank book, and seemed to ignore Kagari's attempts to nudge her back into reality. So Mato's feeling wasn't just a feeling - one of the students really was out of it today. And it was one of the top students, too.

It was the same in a lot of their classes - Izumo would tune out and stare at her blank page, ignoring Kagari's attempts to break her out of her dazes. Kagari would do it rudely, though, and a few times she'd even stomped on the taller girl's foot with her heel. The look on Kagari's face was that of disgust, as though Izumo's emotion were leaking into her and she was forcing them out with all her will, trying to pull her partner back into the game. She could understand why, though. Kagari hadn't exactly been forgiving of Izumo when Mato escorted the two out of the bathroom.

As she and Rin walked with their usual gang, ignoring Shima's hopeless attempts to flirt with Mato, the girl thought back to the night that the ghoul had attacked.

Rin had lent Izumo his shirt and pants, creating a rather embarrassing diversion for the others, while Mato had given Kagari her own shirt, and after that she had picked up the small girl and carried her out of the room with Izumo in tow. Izumo had been completely silent and her tears had been out of her control, but Kagari had exercised great control over her emotions for the entire journey out of the area. Kagari had made it a point to ignore Izumo the entire time, and Izumo hadn't made any attempts to say anything.

Shame, she realised. They were both feeling shame over Izumo freezing up and feeling weak. Neither of them even felt a bit of pride over Kagari's quick thinking.

"Dear me, Kamiki," the teacher - a plump, blonde woman with a ferret resting on her shoulder - remarked. "This is a rare occurrence. Suguro, if you would."

Answering her with a nod, Bon stood and began to recite, "'I will extol thee, O Lord, for Thou hast lifted me up, and hast not made my foes to rejoice over me. O Lord my God, I cried unto Thee, and Thou hast healed me. O Lord, Thou hast brought up my soul from the grave; Thou hast kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit.'"

Rin stared in shock along with Shiemi and Yomi while Mato gave the rooster head her own person stare of surprise. Her eyes were wide and in awe of his memory, and her jaw dropped a few centimetres as she tried to process how he could just stand there and recite it all without so much as blinking. It was... Well, it was amazing!

The moment he was done, Rin began to applaud him, the first word out of his mouth being: "Amazing!"

_My thoughts exactly_, Mato marveled. The teacher gave the boy praise, followed by Shiemi and Yomi asking at once how he could remember such a thing - even going so far as to ask if there was a trick to doing it so well. Bon was close to answering, about to share his secret, when Izumo finally decided to contribute to the class.

"Memorizing things that like is just plain showing off," she growled, glaring at him. Bon raised a brow, daring her to repeat herself. When her urged her to repeat herself, she gladly obliged. "I said memorization has absolutely nothing to do with academic ability."

Bon scoffed. "Big talk coming from a girl who couldn't even memorize four lines." He smirked, ignoring Shima's attempts to talk him into standing down.

"It's..." She bit her lips, her rage clearly building. Kagari was clutching her pencil so close to snapping point, and Mato was beginning to worry for the blonde. "It's not that I can't memorize them! It's just that I choose not to! Who wants to be an Aria? They're completely defenseless while reciting and have to rely on the rest of their party to protect them. They're nothing more than baggage!"

This caused the boy to stand, rage evident of his face as he dared her to repeat herself again. Izumo merely encouraged him to attack her, to show her what he had in him. The two approached each other, stopping right in front of Rin, and resumed their fight.

"I can't stand you, you know that?" Bon yelled. "Don't go laughing at other people's dreams!"

"Oh, of course!" She cracked a smirk. "You wanted to 'defeat Satan', if I recall? You expect me to do anything other than laugh at that joke?"

"Oh, yeah?" Bon sneered at Izumo, displeased with her attitude. So was Mato, and she could feel a bit of fear roll off of Rin. He was getting worried, and he was stuck in between the two of them. Mato's bad feeling was beginning to make another appearance. "What's your reason for becoming an exorcist, then? Go on, say it!"

The girl froze in her tracks, her eyes becoming distant for just a second, before she ground out at the boy, "I'll have you know that I've never told my personal goals to anyone. Not that a showoff like you would understand."

Just as Rin began to stand, Bon grabbed at Izumo's shirt and muttered, "Why you!" Before he could say anything else, Izumo launched her right hand at him, fist aimed for Bon's arm. It instead missed, hitting Rin square on the shoulder as Yukio entered the room with Saya. Mato clutched her own shoulder, shocked at the amount of power Izumo had put into the right hook.

Mato couldn't even stop herself when she yelped out loud, "_Son of a bitch_!"

And so they ended up in the abandoned boys' dorm, sitting in a circle whilst supporting Baryons on their laps. Mato rubbed her shoulder with a growl, displeased at the amount of pain she was suffering through thanks to the two idiots who'd started the fight, and tried to keep her mind busy by recalling what a Baryon was. From what she knew, they were demons that possessed rocks, and the longer a person held it the heavier it became.

This was going to be _fun_.

Yukio stared at them all in disappointment, answering Shiemi's question about why everyone had to suffer through the Baryon punishment. According to Saya, it was called "Collective Responsibility", and it was to help build up their abilities and relationships with the rest of the students. Izumo made an offhanded comment on refusing to get along with the "brutes" in the class, to which Yukio informed her grimly that she had no choice in the matter.

After a quick lecture on why an exorcist couldn't work alone, he looked down at his watch and glanced at Saya with a nod. "Now, then," he said. "I have a minor mission to attend to, so Saya and I will be leaving for about three hours." He turned on his heel, mentioning that all the exits would be locked in case of another ghoul attack, and when Bon mentioned that the students would be trapped inside, he deftly replied with, "There will be no need for you to leave."

He left the room, Saya following behind and telling them all to stay the way they were for the next three hours, and then the door was shut behind them. Immediately the students let out a chorus of groans.

And then Izumo and Bon were at it again.

Their argument went on without interruptiong this time, both of them ignoring Rin when he told them to stop fighting next to him, and it quickly ended again when Bon growled at Izumo, "You'll make every damn person run for the hills if you keep acting like this."

As if anything couldn't be any worse, the power went out right after Bon had said his piece. Everyone yelped and Baryon's fell off of laps, and when light from Shima's phone lit up the area, everyone stared in surprise at the positions they had landed in. Once everyone had pulled out their phones to light up the area, Konekomaru made it his mission to check and see if the blackout was just in their building. He hurried for the window as Bon demanded, "That idiot teacher! Did he go and cut the power on us?"

"No, I can see the lights out here," Konekomaru reported.

"What's that mean?" Shiemi said worriedly, holding onto Yomi in fear. The taller girl was going the same, her face a mess of panic and concern.

Rin blinked, glancing at Mato. "Maybe the blackout is restricted to this building?"

With a shrug, Shima stood and made his way to the door Yukio and Saya had left through. Everyone watched in concern, wondering what he was going to do, and told him to be careful when he announced he would check the corridor. As he reached the door, he cracked a small grin.

"To tell you the truth, I like incidents like this. It's like a sort of 'test of courage'."

He stared through the door, shining his phone onto the glass, and was faced with a sight no one had expected to see. The head of a ghoul was facing him directly, the rotting face pressed to the glass in an attempt to open the door easily. Shima stared at it blankly, asking if he was seeing things. Bon and Rin screamed that it was real, and when it made a move to smash the window he jumped out of its path and rolled back to his friends' sides.

It poked its head inside, easily recognised as the ghoul that had attacked the girls, and as Mato tried to think of what to do, she heard Bon complain, "My legs are still numb! Damn it!"

That meant that running wasn't an option.

One of the heads expanded slowly, becoming twice the size of the other one, and it was too late when Mato figured out what it was doing. Icor and blood sprayed all over them, splotches of dark red on everyone's uniforms and the garden girls' kimonos. Yomi shrieked when a big splotch landed on a lens of her glasses, covering one eye, and she immediately summoned her Skull in panic. Shiemi reacted the same way, Nii already out and with her, and ordered her familiar to call out "Una-Una". Branches sprung out from Nii's stomach, creating a barricade for the students to hide behind whilst the ghoul paced and tried to reach them. Shiemi let out a breath when Nii was finished, remarking that she was dizzy. Bon added on by saying he felt hot, and it only left Mato and Rin in a confused situation as they replied they felt neither dizzy nor overheated.

_The head! It had some kind of liquid that's making this happen! _Mato realised. That made fighting an uneasy option.

Yuu crawled over to Shiemi and tried to hold to the blonde upright as Kagari moved to Yomi's side, asking if she could keep the Skull summoned for long. Yomi gave her a nod as Yuu made herself comfortable, and Mato let out a quick breath when Yuu announced, "The numbing in my legs isn't as bad as Bon's. If we can keep this up for enough time, I can summon my tail and fight one of the ghouls."

One of them? There was more than one?

Mato turned her attention to the barricade again, spotting the second one lurking behind the first, and felt her hopes diminish. Running, fighting, and holding the fort were out of the question. What did that leave them with!?

Quickly analysing the situation, Bon relayed to them all, "Thanks to Moriyama's barricade we're safe, but when she runs out of energy, we lose both the Skull on Takanashi's side and the protection. We don't have many options after that happens."

Hoping to reach his brother, Rin lifted his phone to eye level and dialed Yukio's number. The dial tone rang out several times, and he let out a growl when Yukio didn't pick up. "Can't get a hold of Yukio."

Several quiet seconds passed, all of them slow and painful for Mato. She tried to think of something that wouldn't involve anyone getting hurt or, God forbid, dying. But nothing would come to mind! All she could think of was drawing them out and-

Oh, no! That wasn't her thought! That was _Rin's_! And like hell she was going to let him go through with it!

"Mato and I will head outside and draw them out," Rin announced, earning a glare from the blue-eyed girl. "If we can get both of them following us, then the rest of you can make a run for it."As he approached the barricade, Mato following reluctantly, he added, "If they don't follow us, we'll see what we can do about finding help or at least getting light in here."

Rin began to climb through the branches, Mato right behind him, as Bon called out for him to stop. She could hear Yuu beg Mato to pull Rin back to the group, but all she could do was ignore the girl and focus on the ghouls. They were doing a practical suicide mission. And it felt strangely right to do.

One of the was in sight when Rin made it halfway, and he immediately called out for it to follow them. He growled at them, demanding if it was him they were after, and left it no time to reply as he continued through the branches and waited for it to follow. "Bring it on!" he yelled, grabbing Mato's hand and pulling her along with him. The ghoul turned away from the branches, letting out a rather strange roar, and gave pursuit as the other ghoul remained in its place.

* * *

"That idiot..."

Yuu glanced at Bon with a meek smile, trying to find a bright side in the situation. "They got rid of one of them, at least. And he took Mato with him - he's making sure someone's watching his back."

"Yeah, yeah."

Silence passed over them as they thought about what to do, trying to figure out what they even could do in the situation. They couldn't rely on Shiemi forever, and they couldn't rely on the limited time Yomi would have when Shiemi was too weak to fight. They had almost no options; it was so painfully clear.

Shiemi let out a small breath, beads of sweat forming on her forehead, and Yuu caught her before she lost her balance. Steadying the girl, the Otherself looked to her partner with pleading eyes, begging him for an idea to help the poor blonde. Cursing to himself, Bon scowled as he thought of a quick plan.

Finally, after a few desperate seconds, he announced, "I'm gonna try a recital!"

Hope in her golden eyes, Kagari demanded of him, "You know the ghoul's fatal verse?" Bon looked to her in dismay, remembering that she hadn't sided with Izumo when the other girl had insulted Arias.

"I don't, no," he sighed. "But I do know that ghoul-type demons' fatal verses tend to come out of the Gospel of Saint John." He let out a breath, steeling himself as he shifted into a more comfortable sitting position. "I've memorized the whole thing already, so if I just recite it all, it'll respond to something!"

There was an obvious flaw in that plan, and Shima was fast to point it out. "Wait! Aren't there over twenty chapters?" He looked to everyone else as though they'd have an answer, but all it accomplished was worried glances between the Other girls as they considered the plan.

"There are twenty-one, actually."

Yuu's eyebrows rose at the sound of Konekomaru's voice, surprised that the quiet boy had spoken up so readily. "Twenty-one?" Yomi breathed in exasperation. "Do we have time for twenty-one chapters?" She looked to Yuu, who shook her head in response and steadied Shiemi once more.

"I've memorized chapters one through ten already," Konekomaru pointed out, shedding light on the problem. "Allow me to help."

Bon smiled at his friend in relief, glad he was getting help. "Thanks, Koneko."

Just as they were about to ready themselves and recite the verses, Izumo stood and glared at the two boys. "Wait a second!" she growled. "If you start reciting, it'll go straight for you when it breaks through!"

The taller teen looked ready to explode at the girl, but a smaller person beat him to it. Yuu stood with a huff, mimicking the glare Kagari was sending her partner. She'd made sure that Shiemi was okay before facing the human girl, and it was easy to notice her hazel eyes turn orange as she ground out, "We don't have the time, Izumo! Shiemi is doing her best to keep the ghoul away, and this plan is all we've been able to work out. It doesn't help that the liquid is making us weak, so we have to take what we can get. Unless we miraculously have enough room for Kagari's machine or you're willing to be a part of the team and help us? Or have you managed to achieve the goal of being a real bitch in order to unlock one of Chariot's weapons? _Huh_?"

Izumo just stared at her in shock, jaw dropped as she tried to think of what to say. Yuu's eyes returned to their usual colour, the girl letting out a scoff before turning to Shiemi to catch her again. "I didn't think so," she spat. "So just sit there and let us help these two, okay?"

As Bon and Konekomaru spun around to face the ghoul, Shima cracked a grin and muttered, "That's Yuu for you; always saying what's on Bon's mind." He then positioned himself in front of his friends and reached for his pocket. He quickly pulled out the compacted K'rik he'd brought to True Cross with him, and Yuu felt a ghost of a smile fall onto her lips. She could remember the day he'd gotten it from his father, soon after Bon had announced that he and Yuu would be going to the school to learn how to become exorcists. It had been a going away gift from his father, as well as an inheritance from the Shima family.

"I haven't memorized a single verse of that thing," he announced proudly, "so I'll be your backup and make sure it doesn't get to you two." He then threw a charming grin at Yuu, adding, "We'll tag-team, okay?"

Unable to think of anything else to say, Yuu replied, "Okay."

The moment felt so heroic and awesome, Yuu had to admit, and she was actually pumped to fight a demon and make sure Shiemi was okay. There was no more worry of failure; there was only the excitement of fighting their first demon and the determination that would help them win.

"This is insane!"

And then the moment was ruined, Izumo's pessimism breaking through their heroic moment as she tried to argue them out of fighting. Bon turned to her, finally able to speak his mind. "You've been acting tough this whole time," he said to her, no hints of anger or annoyance in his expression, "but when push comes to shove, you just want to run away? If you're not gonna fight, just stay back." He turned back to the ghoul, shifting his position slightly, before looking to Konekomaru for confirmation. The smaller boy nodded, signalling that he was ready to recite, and then Bon announced, "I'll start from chapter eleven and go on from there. You start from chapter one. Don't let me put you off, alright?"

Konekomaru nodded, and at the same time the two said, "In the beginning there was the word," and, "Now a certain man was sick."

* * *

Rin's face lit up as he spotted the sign he was looking for, the ghoul lost in the halls after the chase it had given after the two students. "Aha! The switchboard!"

Optimism rising slightly, Mato turned to Rin's spot and blinked in surprise. He was pulling the cover away as she looked back at him, muttering to himself over whether or not the switchboard controlled the light. As he pulled it off, he noticed the dimmed lights and the lifted switch; someone had pushed it up, Mato guessed, leaving them in a state of darkness and allowing the ghoul to get to them quicker.

"If I just flip this switch..." Rin let the sentence hang in the air, smiling a bit as he reached for the switch. A growl from behind made him pause, and before he could act he felt the ghoul's tail wrap around his waist and toss him away from the switchboard. Mato turned to the demon cautiously, hoping that she would get the adrenalin rush she felt last time Rin was in danger, but all she felt was the pain of Rin's fall and the wind rushing around her as she too was flung away from the light source. She landed a little away from Rin with a grunt, a burning sensation coming from her left knee as she felt a bit of blood trickle down her leg.

Rin was the first to stand, scowling as he reached for his sword. He lit up like a match just as the ghoul leapt for him, its mouth opened wide and its face peeled apart like a blooming flower. "Don't get in my way!" Rin growled, swatting the ghoul away with the sword as he waited for Mato to join him. The girl was on her feet and hurrying over to his side, but was stopped suddenly when a familiar violet light shot at the ground in front of her. Mato skidded to a stop, wondering if she'd been seeing things, but she was proved wrong when a body crashed into her own.

She tried to steady herself as Sascha aimed her gunblade at the taller girl, hoping to dodge the next violet bullet before any harm could befall Rin. Mato rushed at Sascha before she could fire another bullet, tackling the girl to the ground and knocking away the gunblade in hopes of disarming her and evening the match. Mato had never fought Black Matagi, not even in Otherworld when she went insane, so she had no idea what she was up against in this scuffle.

Sascha regained her footing and threw a hard punch at Mato's face, knocking the other girl back before retreating back to her obvious partner in the matter. "That's right. Those are the flames we wanted to see."

Two sets of blue eyes fell onto the teacher emerging from the shadows, a gloved hand petting the ghoul as it shook off the flames still burning on its rotting skin. Rin stared at Igor in shock, trying to figure out why he was near the ghoul. Mato was quick to put two and two together, however, and sent a sneer at the man as she hurried to Rin's side. She glanced down at her leg as she did so, spotting the big graze along her knee and lower-leg, and frowning at the blood leaking out from the wound. It was minor, but it would be hard to ignore.

"Those blue, blue flames," Igor went on, smiling at Sascha with pride. "I figured that you would not use your flames in front of others, so I lured you out here." The man paused, staring back at Rin evenly as he kept his expression neutral. "Rin Okumura; son of Satan."

Rin was at a loss for words, and all he could muster was a mere, "You're...one of our teachers..."

The man only offered a grin while the girl brushed a bit of dust from her uniform. "So yesterday's attack, and today's," Rin went on. "They were both your doing?"

"Indeed they were," Igor replied after a pause. "But enough talk. Let me see more of those flames of yours."

Igor turned to his ghoul, ready to give it a command, but stopped short when Rin leapt into the air and unsheathed his sword. The blue flames intensified, his expression becoming that of an angered demon. Rin landed on the ghoul, feet planted on its shoulders, and in one move he brought the sword down onto the ghoul's head and cut it in half, letting out a snarl of rage as Igor and Sascha backed away from the creature.

"I see," Igor muttered, placing a hand on his daughter's shoulder and pulling her back with him. The demon vanished, clearly defeated by the flames, and all that was left was the two teens.

Mato looked around frantically, having lost the teacher and his partner in the massive blaze Rin had let out, and felt herself scowl as her leg started to burn again. Rin was also looking around, still covered in flames, and resisted the urge to throw his sword to the ground as he finally admitted to himself that Igor was gone.

"This is no time to be messing around!" he growled.

There was no response.

No one was there.

Satisfied, Rin put away his sword and turned toward the switchboard. Mato began to limp over to him, the pain in her leg just a little too much for her liking, and followed as he made his way to the stairs.

* * *

"He's on the last chapter," Konekomaru muttered, finally done with the first ten chapters. The ghoul was getting dangerously close, almost through Shiemi's barrier, and it was becoming obvious that the blonde was weakening with each moment that passed. He had to admit that he was a little worried about her, and Yomi as well, but all he could do was hope that Bon would recite the fatal verse before the barrier fell.

Shima and Yuu shifted around uncomfortably, nervous for what was to come, and reluctantly stood to make their ways over to Bon. Yuu was worried, especially now that Shiemi was close to breaking point. Yomi was showing signs of fatigue also, and it was obvious that the two in the front line would have to fight in a matter of moments.

"I wonder what happened to Rin," Konekomaru wondered out loud. Shima paled at the thought of what could've happened, smiling nervously.

"Better not to think about it," he breathed. He let out a shaky laugh again, trying to lighten the mood, and Yuu felt it almost work. And then two crashes from behind them alerted them to what was to come.

Yomi and Shiemi fell to the ground simultaneously, both Nii and the Skull hitting the ground beside them with small thuds. Yomi's glasses fell away from her face, the green spectacles cracked from the fall. Yuu felt her eyes widen in panic when she saw Shiemi in a similar state, and almost immediately called upon her tail to battle the ghoul.

"Shiemi!" Shima gasped. "Yomi!"

The barrier disappeared with an audible poof, clouds appearing in its place as the ghoul crashed to the ground clumsily. Shima took advantage of this fumble, gritting his teeth in frustration, and drove the K'rik into the ghoul's chest. He tried to force it back, a loud grunt escaping him as Yuu cautiously stood behind him.

Further back in the room, Izumo and Kagari had dragged Yomi and Shiemi away from the conflict, nudging them and wondering out loud if they were dead. Kagari was in more of a panicked state than Izumo, clearly upset over the thought of losing Yomi so soon. Shiemi stirred a bit as Izumo shook her shoulder, opening her eyes weakly and staring up at the girl in a daze.

"H-Hang in there, alright?" Izumo stuttered, unsure of what to do next. She had no idea what to do! What did she do? How did she help the girls?

Shiemi opened her eyes groggily, barely able to keep her weak gaze on the girl hovering over her worriedly. "You're...not like your...usual self today...right?" she inquired between breaths, voice quiet and exhausted. "Are you...alright?"

Izumo froze, her eyes steady on the girl. Shiemi watched her back, lids falling and opening weakly, and all Izumo could think was, _Huh?!_ This weak, half-conscious idiot was asking if Izumo was okay! She was worried about her! _Why!?_

A loud gasp came from Shima, whose K'rik was swatted away by the ghoul. He stumbled back as Yuu went to take charge, but the ghoul shoved her back onto the pink-haired boy as though she were a mere toy. Izumo frowned to herself, looking to Kagari as the blonde kept her eyes on Yomi's unconscious form.

This wasn't like her at all... Shiemi was right. By God, that idiot was right! Izumo reached into her breast pocket, pulling out her papers, and stared at the summoning circles drawn on the both of them. She needed to get her head back in the game, and she needed to help out those fumbling fools. She literally needed to face her demons!

As she began to summon the creatures, Izumo felt something inside her change. Like a lock being broken and a door pushed wide open. Her heart felt lighter, her mind clearer, and it wasn't until she caught sight of Kagari rushing toward the ghoul that she realised what this feeling was - what this strange sensation meant. Izumo had just overcome some kind of goal - a goal both she and Kagari shared - and now part of Kagari's Otherself form had been unlocked. But what had it been?

Kagari skidded to a stop in front of Yuu, holding up her arm as though blocking an attack from a robber. The ghoul raised its fist to deal some damage, only to crash down onto an invisible shield. As the ghoul's arm trembled with force an item began to appear on Kagari's arm. It was cog-shaped, larger than the girl herself, and coloured golden to match Kagari's brightly shining eyes. Izumo's familiars appeared the moment the giant object was fully formed, and it was then she realised that she'd still been summoning them.

"_Fool!_" one of them hissed. "_You darest summon us once more? Know thine place!_"

"You will obey me!" she growled back, hardly backing down or flinching at the demon's tone. The fox cowered away slightly, obviously not expecting the girl to retaliate, and turned toward the ghoul bashing Kagari's shield. That had to be what it was, right? A shield? What else would it be?

Kagari was forced further and further back, her shoes unable to keep her planted in one spot, and the shield didn't seem to be holding out very well either. A large crack appeared after twelve bashes, the ghoul's fist coming down harder and faster every time, and the sound of the metal breaking apart gave Izumo a sense of uneasiness. She had to be ready when that shield broke, and she had to move quick when it did...

As if on cue, the shield shattered into a mess of gold-coloured metal, chunks of the thing flying out and around the trio. Shima reacted quickly, grabbing the two girls and pulling them back into his chest to protect them, and them turned around to make sure they were shielded from the flying chunks. Now it was Izumo's turn.

The ghoul leaped for Bon, reaching out to him with a hoarse cry. Izumo focused as much as she could, speaking the first words that came to mind as her familiars charged. "Quaver, gently quaver," she chanted. "Rite of the quavering soul!"

The foxes unleashed a round of attacks on the ghoul, disappearing as soon as they were done with it. Cuts, large and gaping, were what now covered the demon. Blood poured out of them like a waterfall, unstopping and greatly flowing.

But it wasn't enough.

The ghoul was still able to get a hold of Bon, it's hand grasping his hair madly. Another hand reached for his shirt, lifting him from his spot. Bon seemed undeterred, still reciting, "This is the disciple which testifieth of these things."

The ghoul's face opened up, rotting skin peeling away to reveal wide eyes and a large tongue darting toward the boy. He kept going, "And we know that his testimony is true."

Everyone was panicking, and Shima had managed to get back on his feet and reach for his K'rik. The lights suddenly flickered on, leaving the ghoul at a disadvantage. Bon went on, "I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written!"

Finishing the verse, Bon watched along with the others as the demon let out a screech and burst, all of its blood and its entirely form disappearing as though being sucked into another dimension. Bon dropped to the floor, legs still numb, and let out a shaky breath as Konekomaru hurried over to him. The bald boy was telling him how relieved he was, but all Bon could manage was the constant repetition of, "I'm dead!"

And then, to make things just a little more unbelievable for the tall boy, Mato and Rin poked their heads through the door curiously. "Hey!" Rin announced, walking in first. "Are you okay?"

Bon was astounded, as were everyone else. "Y-Y-Y-You..." he started. He cut himself off and started again. "Where's the other...?"

"Him?" Rin inquired innocently. He gave everyone a thumbs up as Mato entered with a slight limp. Izumo was quick to notice the graze on her knee, wondering if what Rin would say was as truthful as it seemed. "Oh, I beat him. Well, actually, Mato and I both beat him. You guys beat the other one, too? Nice go- Hm?"

At that moment, Bon found strength in his legs and charged toward Rin. He raised his fist, rage on his face, and brought it toward Rin's face; the blow was mighty, judging from Mato's sudden drop to the floor and Rin's inability to get back up.

"The hell's wrong with you?" Bon screamed. "You fucking idiot! Were you trying to get yourself killed? _I almost died back there!_"_  
_

Watching the whole thing play out, Izumo let out a sigh and shook her head. _Idiots_, she thought to herself. _But at least they made it back okay._

Beside her, Yomi was slowly coming to and sitting up, glancing around in confusion. She reached around herself, searching for something, and almost instantly Izumo reminded herself that the poor girl's glasses had fallen from her face when she'd lost consciousness. Deciding to help her out, Izumo reached for the spectacles (which were nowhere near where Yomi was searching) and handed them to her with a pout.

"Here," she sighed. Jumping slightly, Yomi reached out and took the glasses from the girl. Once they were securely sitting on her nose, Izumo turned to face her. "Are you okay?" The question took some effort to muster, the girl's pride getting in the way.

Still a bit confused, Yomi answered with a quiet, "Yes," and a quick nod.

Izumo's pout grew as she turned away from Yomi, glancing at Shiemi and spotting those eyes opened again. Now was the time to say it, at least. "I can't stand you two, you know," she ground out. "But this time... You guys did a good job. That's all."

Shuffling over toward Shiemi, Yomi fixed her glasses nervously and replied with a quiet, "Right..."

A ghost of a smile appeared on Izumo's face as she turned away, yet another light feeling in her chest. She returned her gaze to the boys at the front of the room, spotting Rin and Mato now standing and rubbing their cheeks in annoyance. They exchanged glares at each other, clearly planning their own personal revenge against Bon, but stopped when the voice of their teacher entered the room.

Saya burst inside with a gasp, Yukio following and muttering, "What on earth...?"

Behind the young teacher came Igor, scanning the class with an indifferent expression on his face. Everyone was relieved to see teachers there, even if Mato was fussed over by Saya (the woman immediately flipped when she saw the graze), but something in the blue-eyed teens' expressions gave Izumo an idea that something was not quite right...

Had something happened? Why were they only staring at Igor? Did Igor do something?

She was barely given time to figure anything out as Mato let out a loud, "Jesus!" the moment Saya poked her graze cautiously.

* * *

**Buddum~ Chapter! And almost ten thousand words, too - a new record! And how'd you guys like that scene at the beginning? Any idea who the woman is? I wonder who will figure it out first...**

**Anyway, yeah, I apologise if the end of the fight sucked. I pretty much tried to stay awake all night finishing this so I could free myself and look at another story's unfinished chapter (*sobbing in the background*) but I feel like that's affected it somehow... Meh, I don't know. You guys would tell me if it sucked, I guess.**

**Welp, see you all next chapter~!**


	6. Chapter 6

******A great big thank you to **dreamyyelli******, **FloraFaveXNara-Wire******, **JDH1080******, **Mizuki00******, **Ria Risa******, **TripleReader******, **The 13 Paged NoteBook******, **L (guest)******, **rebelsinger1219******, **Ephriel Blamecaster******, **starbringer101 (guest)**, **Access Butterfly**, **Blue Dragneel**,**Bleachlover1999 (guest)**, **qwertyuiop (guest)**, **B.M.B.T**, **MageOfLife431 (guest)**, and **Hazama-Chan**.********  
**

**Just to answer a couple of questions asked about the story:**

**1. This is set in the manga. I am horribly behind in the anime, and also know that it deviates from a lot of the manga events, and it's cut short compared to the manga's ongoing status. A couple of anime-only characters may appear if they can work into the story well, and one has already done that in one of the Igor chapters (*cough* Michelle *cough*).**

**2. The scene at the beginning of last chapter didn't happen in the anime or manga - I actually decided "what the hey" with the idea and wrote it down. So the question still stands as to who Mephisto's mystery lady is. Here's a hint: She's not Mato. Frankly, I don't think Black Rock Shooter has the patience to tolerate Mr Flauntastic, let alone survive a dinner with him.**

**3. Our lovable pair will eventually get to a sort of lovey dovey stage, but the key word is ****_eventually_****. This is, in all honesty, the first time I've made two main characters take it slow with their relationships and developments, but I can say that the slowness will include awkward semi-fluff, moments of adorableness, and maybe even the two getting jealous every so often without even realising it.**

**Alrighty. All I have to say on those matters. Although, just a little warning, my "once a month" updates may come a little slower than just "once a month, give or take a week"; I've recently discovered Homestuck, and I don't think I'll be stopping for a break from it any time soon. I will, however, try to divide my time between reading Homestuck and working on the chapters. Otherwise, I hope you all enjoy the chapter :D**

* * *

She rolled over with a frown, just in time to catch Rin announce angrily, "God dammit!"

Resisting the urge to get out of the bed and kick him in the face, Mato lifted her head groggily out from under the blanket. She'd been trying to rest for the past hour, trying to get air back in her lungs after having fought a ghoul and ran around the building, and then have her leg bandaged up painfully by Saya. To say she wasn't in the best of moods was an understatement.

"I can't believe it," Rin growled. "It was a surprise test."

_Completely deceived_, Mato thought, sitting up and pushing the blankets off of her legs. She was curious to see if the gash was any better. It didn't quite feel any better, but she couldn't be quite sure. She'd never really sustained injuries that stayed more than for a moment. Everything she'd ever felt - from Chariot impaling her with the doll to slashing her own legs in order to keep the real Mato at bay - healed within moments, and she never felt anything more than a slight burning sensation in her veins.

She lifted her knee as Konekomaru panicked over his score, rolling her eyes just a bit over his concern. Cautiously she watched the wrappings, afraid they would peel off and scurry out the door if she blinked. This material was never used in Otherworld - there was no use for it! There was no use for the ointment beneath it, either! It was annoying and itchy and pointless and-

Okay, she couldn't come up with any more words, but her point still stood!

Steeling herself and preparing for a world of pain to surge through her leg, she carefully pressed a finger onto the wrap and poked the wound. She was hoping it would be fine, that it would be numb and healed, but all she felt was a burn under her skin and a stab of pain in her bone. She hissed in the middle of Rin's explanation over how they'd defeated the ghoul, the garden girls now conscious and looking around nervously. Attention was on her quicker than she'd have appreciated, and immediately Rin grabbed her wrist and pulled it away from her leg.

"Stop touching it," he scolded. "It won't heal properly if you irritate it."

She snatched her hand away, pouting at him, and rolled onto her side once more, throwing the blanket over her head. It was the universal message for: _I'm not listening. Get lost._

"Sheesh," Shima laughed. "You must've pissed her off when you 'stabbed the ghoul with your sword'." She could feel him moving his fingers to make air quotes.

"Nah," Yuu cut in. "Take it from someone who knows her - she's pissed because she had to fight another ghoul, and that she got beat up by one again."

Someone shifted in their seat, letting out a scoff. Bon added, "She probably pissed off that her partner rushed off into battle like an idiot, _and_ dragged her along with him."

She brought a hand out from under the blanket, clicking her fingers and pointing to Bon before giving him the thumbs up. Bon let out a smug laugh and sent a superior glare at Rin, who stuttered something about helping everyone else by luring one of the ghouls away. He then went on to point out that he and Mato still made a "pretty sweet team", and then looked to Yuu for support. The small girl giggled and shook her head, dismissing him before turning to Izumo and Kagari.

Mato drowned them out, frowning as she tried to force herself to sleep. She wanted the day to be over so she could raid the fridge and eat the last of Rin's (delicious) cooking. Sadly, she had to wait in the room with everyone else - wait for her score, wait for news about what Igor had said, wait for everyone else to leave knowing that they had been tested.

One of the boys had just finished talking about how strange two particular students were, remarking that they had both spoken for the first time since meeting everyone. Mato was confused; she didn't remember any other students in the class... Not unless these students were experts at keeping the attention away from themselves.

"Speaking of mutes," Kagari said, apparently having joined the group during the conversation. Mato rolled her eyes and suddenly wished she had something deadly in her hands; preferably her rock Cannon. Ah, how easy it would be to turn around and shoot a few rounds of flaming rocks at the blonde. "It seems that Little Miss Stoic finally said something today."

Rin blinked, thinking over what Kagari had just said. He recalled the events of the day, thinking back as far as when they'd woken up and started classes, and let out a gasp when he remembered his partner's speech.

"You spoke!" he exclaimed, hurriedly standing from his seat. Mato sighed, squeezing her eyes shut, and ignored him as he went on to lecture her about using curse words. She resisted the urge to punch him in the face, burying her face further into her pillow.

* * *

"Igor."

The one-eyed man and his daughter froze, turning their gazes over their shoulders to see who was calling them. Descending the stairs in a hurry was Yukio, followed closely by Saya; a troubled expression was on both their faces. Sascha took an unconscious step to her left, standing closer to Igor as Yukio said, "Can I talk to you for a little?"

"What is it?" Igor said evenly.

The duo were finally at the bottom step, Saya immediately taking over. Igor wasn't too pleased with this, knowing full well from Michelle's complaints that the woman had a knack for digging deep in her investigations. "Yesterday and today," she said, "both of your behaviours clearly deviated away from the limits of the examination." She scowled, sending a glare to Sascha. Of course she would - it was up to the Otherself to make sure that the exorcist didn't over exert themselves or get them into a dangerous situation. "What on earth were you thinking?"

"No matter how many judges were there to provide backup," Yukio cut in, making sure Saya didn't say the wrong thing, "you still dogmatically tried to place the students in great danger. The examinations itself would have fallen apart." He paused, taking a cautious step forward. "Not just that; you were going to make Rin Okumura reveal his flames in front of the other students. Only a few teachers were informed about my brother's powers. You, too, should be made to swear by Sir Pheles."

Igor's gaze never wavered, his expression barely giving away what he was thinking. Sascha held a very similar demeanour, her single indigo eye watching Saya with a certain alertness. "Our actions were on the orders of your precious Sir Pheles," she said harshly. "Are you suggesting we tried to kill Rin and Mato?"

Eyes wide in shock, Yukio blinked and attempted to register what he'd just been told. This was confusing news - Mephisto had sworn to take care of Rin when Fujimoto died, and had even guaranteed that no one would know he was the son of Satan. Well, no one dangerous and holding a grudge against Rin, at least. So why give Igor and Sascha the order to attack them? Why have them deviate away from the ExWire exam and make Rin show his flames?

"Excuse me?" he finally managed. Igor nodded, confirming what Sascha had said.

"You could say," he said, "if you were chosen to act as the 'brakes' for his power, then I am the 'accelerator'. It's all in order to take better control of Rin Okumura's ability."

"What do you mean?" Saya snapped. Yukio glanced back at her, spotting the enraged look on her face. He would have to make sure to calm her with a lot of coffee later.

"I don't mean anything." The man spoke lightly. "I am merely measuring whether in future True Cross Academy will be able to use him up as a weapon."

"You two," Sascha added, "the 'Genius Exorcist' and the 'Mothering Otherself' always look so busy." She nodded to the books and files under Yukio's arm, and to the two briefcases Saya held in each hand. "The least we could do was share your demon babysitting."

"My older brother can control his powers and feelings just fine, especially now that he has Mato to keep his attitude steady." Yukio narrowed his eyes, shifting the weight of the files. He'd forgotten he was even carrying them, more so what was inside them. "At least by now you should have seen him with those eyes, too. It'd be wise not to underestimate my brother's ability."

Igor let out a small, "Hm," and frowned slightly, gauging Yukio's words with consideration. "It's not like I have a reason to kill him," he said in response. As soon as the words left his mouth, he and Sascha turned to leave. Just as he began walking, he added, "You should feel relieved."

* * *

She hardly waited for the assistant to tell her she could enter this time, pushing open the doors with rage evident in her entire form. Mephisto's head lifted at the sound of the doors being thrown open. It seemed he had been partially expecting her arrival.

"How can-"

"I want an explanation," she ground out, slamming her hands on his desk. "I want one _right now_."

He stared at her for a moment, his face unreadable. He was most likely thinking of a safe way to handle this; but he knew too well that there was no easy way to handle her when she was mad.

"My dear," he said slowly. "It was a mere test to see how in control of his powers he is. Mr Okumura was in no immediate danger, and neither was Miss Kuroi. If anything, they did exceptionally well in controlling Rin's flames and making sure no one else knew about them."

"_What_? You mean to tell me that it was all a _mere_ _test_?"

Mephisto nodded confidently. "But of course. I have said it before and I'll say it again: I care deeply for all of my students and wish no harm to befall them."

"Why don't I believe you?"

"Because," he told her. "My actions, now that the Cram School has started and now that Mr Okumura has joined us, have become much more erratic than they used to be." He sent a smirk her way, tilting his head to the side. "I suppose dinner is off, then?"

She scowled at him, enraged further that he would even dare bring up their upcoming dinner. "Like hell it is!" she yelled. "I've been waiting for an entire week to know whether or not you enjoyed our last dinner - to know if you enjoyed my company - and I am not going to let our jobs get in the way of our next one! And stop changing the subject!"

"But you're so adorable when you're mad," he cooed, reaching out for her. He cupped a hand over her cheek, smiling sweetly at her. "With your puffed-up cheeks and your little pout..."

"And let's not forget my overwhelming urges to bludgeon someone with a shovel," she added with venom. Mephisto chuckled as she pushed herself away from his desk, watching as she crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Honestly, it's a wonder I haven't committed some form of murder with this job. I mean, I'm just doing exactly what I did in Otherworld - hunt, kill, move on to the next target." She scoffed. "Still can't wrap my head around why we all appeared in this world, too."

He kept his eyes locked on her as she paced over this new problem, thinking of a good response to give her. He knew a theory as to why the Otherselves were appearing in Assiah, but it was still just that - a theory. Even if he told it to her in hopes of giving her answers, it would still have a ring of unease to it. Nothing would be said to her - or anyone else - until he worked out what the facts were.

"Perhaps venting these issues to your partner will help you?" he suggested. "You and I certainly aren't bonded, which means I can't quite help you in regards to your urges to kill. Your partner, however, does have the ability to calm you and set your thoughts straight."

"Yeah, yeah," she sighed. She sent him a small glare, but an even smaller smirk was trying to hide itself. "I'm still not happy with you over the whole 'attack Rin and Mato to make Rin use his flames' issue."

"Naturally."

She gave him an even stare as her face changed to that of calm, watching as his own smirk returned. "Promise me that something like this won't happen again," she said. "Please."

A shrug was all she got in reply, followed by, "You know me, my dear. Making and keeping promises aren't exactly my forte."

With a final sigh, she hung her head and turned for the door. "Fine," she growled. "But know that you'll have a major problem on your hands if you do this sort of thing again."

At that, she left the room and closed the doors softly behind her. Mephisto stared at the large entrance for a few seconds before spinning in his seat and leaning back lazily. His smirk turned into a grin, his eyes now on his window.

"Such a serious woman."

* * *

_Finally, time to relax!_ Yomi stretched her arms above her head, watching as Nii floated around happily and skipped over the boxes on the shelves. The little Greenman was full of energy now that the exam was over and done with. She still couldn't believe the entire class (aside from the two on the sidelines) had managed to defeat two ghouls - more so that she herself had helped. She'd panicked, summoned her Skull in hopes of defending herself, and had selfishly kept some energy to herself. If she'd held on that little longer, kept herself calm, Shiemi may have been able to keep the barrier up for a few more much-needed seconds.

But it was done and gone - they'd probably passed and Shiemi was okay now.

"Yomi!" Shiemi called. "Come here and have some tea with me! Take a break!"

Excited to try some of Shiemi's famous herbal tea again, Yomi hurried out of the store room with Nii in tow. It was a quick trip, the rooms connected by a short hallway, and when she spotted the blonde Shiemi turned around and offered her a small cup to drink from. Yomi took it with a small thanks, sipping at it as she sat down next to her partner.

"So glad all the hype of exams are over," Shiemi sighed with relief. She sipped at her own tea, poking Nii in the stomach as she did so. She directed a slight grin to Yomi, pride rising up in her chest. "Everyone says we did so great, Yomi. Shima even said that they'd be goners without the barrier I put up and the strength you gave me."

"Shiemi," Yomi breathed, "if anything, I _took _strength from you. I summoned a Skull and kept it out while you had the barrier in place."

"But that's okay - you were still eager to fight if the barrier went down. That counts as helping."

Deciding not to argue with the girl, Yomi sipped at her tea again and let out a huff. Three cups later and a short conversation about how Mato was beginning to open up, the bell over the door rang with news of a customer. Shiemi set down her cup and sat up straight, waiting for whoever was visiting for supplies.

To her surprise, Yukio appeared in their lines of sight. "Y-Yuki!" she gasped, quickly fixing her kimono before he got a good look at her.

"Good evening, Shiemi," he said. He nodded to Yomi after. "Good evening, Yomi. I'm sorry for coming so late at night. Where's your mother today?"

"S-She left to go buy some stock, so she left us in charge today," Shiemi blurted out. Smooth, Yomi thought. "Is there something you're looking for?"

"Also," Yomi cut in. "Isn't Saya with you today?" _And Rin, for that matter._

Yukio smiled at the two of them sweetly, and Yomi could practically feel Shiemi's heart have a panic attack. "Ah, Saya had some business to attend to." He cleared his throat and mutter, "Half of my paperwork, actually. But I'm actually here to talk about your courses." He reached into is pocket and produced two slips of paper; Shiemi's name on one and Yomi's on the other. "While there aren't customers, can you spare a little time?"

Soon enough the trio were munching on snacks and drinking more tea, discussing what Shiemi and Yomi planned to do in the Cram School. The conversation was quite nervous on Shiemi's end, the girl not quite used to the idea of herself and Yukio in the same room without her mother and his brother. She must've forgotten that Yomi was in the room also, because Shiemi let the image of Yukio smiling like a gentleman at her slip into Yomi's mind. Yomi resisted the urge to clear her throat and let it be known that she was there as well.

After Yukio got them back on track as to why they joined the Cram School, Shiemi remembered what was going on. With a glance at Yomi, she told Yukio, "We aspired to be exorcists, just like everyone else. But since Yomi and I didn't enter the school normally, we weren't sure how to write out the forms. I got embarrassed halfway, and so did Yomi."

Yukio let out a small laugh, smiling to himself over something. "Shiemi, do you remember the first time you and Yomi met me and Saya?" he asked. Ah, so he was recalling a fond memory. One that Yomi couldn't quite remember herself due to the fact that it was the very first day she arrived in Assiah and the very first time she made contact with regular humans. It was the day she and Shiemi had formed a bond.

She went to pour herself some more tea, only to realise the pot was empty. She looked to the small bowl that held the tea leaves, spotting that it was empty, and immediately excused herself to go find some more leaves. There was no need for her to be present during a memory she didn't hold. No need to be there while Yukio and Shiemi recalled something personal to them and only them.

Yomi took her time while finding some tea leaves, trying to choose between two flavours she liked above the rest. As soon as she was finished finding the one she wanted, she made her way back to the duo and found Shiemi blushing over a detail of their story. "Ah," she sighed in embarrassment. "Back then I was worse then I am now! Please forgive me! I'm sorry!" She kept her hands on her cheeks and squeezed her eyes shut, shaking her head a few times. When she was done, Yomi had taken a seat and was preparing some tea. "I really admire you, Yuki," she went on. "I think you're amazing."

A second of silence passed between them as Yomi tried to keep her attention on the tea. Shiemi's heart was beating faster than usual, and it was had to keep her mind on track with Shiemi's overactive mind working with her own. Yukio looked away from the blonde, keeping his eyes on his tea. "I'm not that great a person," he told her. "I used to be a crybaby, too - a long time ago. I always had to be helped by Rin."

"You were?" Yomi asked, shocked by the news. It was hard seeing Rin - the smaller, less intelligent twin - helping Yukio - the taller, more charismatic of the two - as a child.

"Yes," Yukio said, now smiling. "Rin was always doing for me what I couldn't. That's why, when I was a kid, I always admired him."

"You did..." Shiemi stared at him in amazement, clearly pleased she'd learned something new about the boy. "Rin is a pretty nice guy, huh?"

Yukio let out a small laugh. "Yeah, he is..." His expression suddenly darkened, his tone taking a sad turn. "But no one can stay as a child forever. I know you two are making efforts to change, but from now on, to continue doing the Cram School, you both need to be more prepared." He stood, collecting the papers he'd brought with him. "Shiemi, Yomi," he went on, "now that you know you have the abilities of a tamer, you must prepare more than ever for having your lives threatened if you both become exorcists. Talk it over with your mother," he added toward Shiemi. "Please choose one before tomorrow's results."

"I- We will," Shiemi said, folding her hands into her lap. "Do you want some more tea?" Yukio agreed, saying one more cup wouldn't hurt.

Shiemi began to pour the tea, an apologetic look on her face. She was upset that she had made Yukio look so distant when he recalled the memory of his brother, and she was upset that the memory had made him take such a sad tone. She wanted so bad to apologise for it, but she couldn't find the right words to say. Yomi felt sorry for Shiemi, but felt the same way as well - sometimes she felt the same way with Mato; with Black Rock Shooter, actually. As Dead Master, she'd done nothing but remain in the hands of Chariot, chained down by the real Yomi's guilt toward the real Kagari. She'd barely even tried to help Black Rock Shooter set her free - she'd done nothing but remained a prisoner to her guilt. And when she'd finally broke free of her chains, the real Saya drove the real Yomi into insanity, thus making Dead Master create a whole world of chains and skeletons to hide in forever.

And then she'd tried to kill Black Rock Shooter.

And then Black Rock Shooter killed her.

And then Insane Black Rock Shooter was born.

Dead Master had been the catalyst for Otherworld's destruction, as well as Black Rock Shooter's downfall, and she absolutely hated that fact.

"You're normally so busy," she said. "We're sorry to have made you come out here."

His mood seemed to improve slightly; or, at least, on the outside it did. "It's fine-" He cut off all of a sudden, his eyes narrowing in thought. Shiemi and Yomi watched him with concern, unsure of what made him stop so suddenly. He slowly rose from his seat, eyes widening, and said, "Please excuse me." He then turned on his heel in a hurry and sped out the door.

* * *

She was having such a peaceful sleep, but something had managed to wake her up before the gunblade hit the bunk. She wasn't sure if something or someone had woken up Rin, or if she'd just randomly come to on her own, but she knew something was going on when the flash of violet appeared in her sight.

Mato blinked rapidly as she dodged the giant sword's swings, trying to wake herself up. What was going on? Who was attacking her? The exams were over, weren't they? Then who was attacking her!?

Her surroundings were finally visible, her eyes adjusting to the light, but all she had time to see before being violently thrown from the room was a small girl in a black sailor jacket. The door burst open from the force of the throw, Mato's entire body crying out in pain as she tried to stand again. Sascha's small form was in front of her just as she managed to get to her knees, and soon enough the gunblade was raised above Sascha's head and ready to strike. Mato grabbed the fallen door, using it as a shield, and felt her knuckles crack in exasperation as the blade was lodged into the door. The sword wouldn't budge after, leaving the two in a state of rest for a second - but only a second.

Mato released the door just as Sascha swung her blade to the side, hoping to drag the taller girl along with it and the door. The wooden object, however, was the only thing the ending up being tossed further down the hall. While Sascha was distracted, Mato jumped to her feet and sped in the direction of Rin's room. If Sascha was here, then so was Igor! She just knew it! Something was up and she-

_Crap_! She forgot the "gun" in "gunblade"!

She began running in erratic directions as Sascha fired round upon round of violet bullets at her, her slow pace oddly catching up to Mato's frantic running. Mato tried to keep her head clear, to find a non-destructive way to get to Rin, but all she could think was, _Move, move, move, don't stop moving. _She just had to get out of there before she took a bullet to the head.

She turned a corner, panting hard, and heard the crash of Black Matagi's gunblade hitting the wall behind her. Mato let out a small squeak, turning another corner, and but came to a sudden halt when she saw Yukio chasing none other than Igor. The man turned for the stairs, going up to the next level, and Yukio was following closely behind. Guns were firing at the ghoul familiars seeping from Igor's arms, but Yukio still noticed the Otherself running toward him. Mato joined his side just as Black Matagi shot another bullet in her direction, her heart beating wildly in her chest as she tried to catch her breath. Without much warning, Igor summoned more ghouls; the duo ascended the stairs as Yukio took down each one, all the while trying to stay out of Black Matagi's way. Mato scowled as she followed the exorcist as fast as she could, displeased with this turn of events.

What the hell was going on!? Why were they being attacked by Igor and Sascha!?

Igor had managed to find the door leading to the roof, fleeing as fast as his legs would allow him to. Yukio sped up, leaving Mato behind a few steps, and disappeared out the door a second later. Not long after, Mato was met with the cool night sky herself. She could hear Black Matagi calling for her, taunting her, but she did everything she could to ignore her. She needed to shut off emotion and turn on instinct; but where was Rin when she needed him? She needed him there so they could unlock a goal - so they could fight and save themselves!

Where. Was. He?

She'd managed to catch up to Yukio as she called out to Igor, demanding to know if the Mephisto had ordered the attack on Rin. The thought had hardly occurred to her - that the clown had ulterior motives - but she should've known that something like this was coming. She still remembered, albeit hazily, his confrontation with Rin when she first arrived in Assiah. Mato had been conscious enough to take in her surroundings, and her hearing was still good enough to hear the threatening tone in his options. Having someone else kill Rin for him actually didn't seem that far-fetched to Mato.

Black Matagi burst through the door just as Igor released an onslaught of ghoul hands at Yukio. The younger exorcist rapidly reached for his guns and fired several bullets at each one, panicking when a hand snagged his ankle. He fell to the ground as more hands tackled him, and Mato was unable to help him when it happened. At this moment, she was wrestling Black Matagi for the gunblade, hand gripped firmly on the hilt while she searched for an opening to strike the smaller girl. She was hoping for a clean headbutt - just a simple forehead-on-forehead blow that would put the Other girl in a daze while Mato stole her weapon.

The weight shifted suddenly, leaving Mato no choice but to go forwards. As she did, Black Matagi positioned one foot behind her and let the other fly out forward - out and onto Mato's grazed leg. It must not have had the effect Black Matagi was hoping for, because she appeared rather shocked when Mato yelped, "Bitch!" and finally took a chance on her plan. The last thing she saw before Black Matagi went down from the blow to the head was a sorry attempt to call out her violet fire.

With the gunblade now in her possession, Mato turned to Igor and Yukio. The air reeked of sweet liquid, but she couldn't quite place what it was. It had a rainy taste to it, but something else was there; something pure, refined. She couldn't place it, but she wasn't quite fond of it.

She sprinted off in their direction, wielding the heavy blade with confidence, but stopped short when Igor tore into his arm and drew large amounts of blood. Her eyes went down, to his feet, and she quickly realised her mistake. She'd almost charged in, right into a summoning circle, when Igor was pulling a demon to Assiah to do his fighting.

The stench of rot filled her nose as a larger, more muscular type of Naberius appeared in the circle. She stared at it, eyes wide, but didn't have any time to gawk when it suddenly lashed out at Yukio. The boy went flying toward the railing of the roof, grunting with every skid along the ground. Hoping he was okay, Mato raised the gunblade and prepared to fire a barrage of bullets at the creature. Her finger was on the trigger, her aim locked on the demon; and then a smaller form landed on her own, violet blood splashing onto the ground around them. Sascha was still in her Otherself form, blood trickling down her arms by the pint, and a murderous expression was evident in her face as she made a grab for Mato's throat. The taller girl seized Black Matagi's wrists, rolling her over until the positions were reversed. Mato raised a fist high above her head, taking a deep breath, and brought it down hard on Black Matagi's face.

Blue fire erupted around them, Rin's voice entering the fray, but she didn't care. She was too preoccupied with teaching the smaller girl a lesson.

She raised her fist for a second time, ready to break Sascha's nose, but froze when that pure rain hit her nose again.

Mato flew off of Sascha in shock, her skin burning as her sight disappeared. Rin was screaming in the background, somewhere near Igor's location; pain was etched into his voice.

Something was wrong. It didn't feel right. It felt like a whole-

_New world was opening up before her!_

-layer of skin had just been peeled off, leaving nothing but-

_Maniac joy and violent emotion!_

-raw flesh behind. She felt-

_Refreshed!_

-so scared in that moment; Rin screams were-

_So harmonic! So wonderful!_

_-_ringing in her ears; her eyes showed nothing but-

_Beautiful pictures painted with their blood! Red, green, yellow, pink! So many pretty colours!_

_-_darkness.

A large form snatched her from the ground and her thoughts, the pain leaving as her vision began to clear. Mato blinked as she tried to process what was going on, but it all clicked in when she heard Rin yell in her ear, "Mato!"

She could finally take it in; register what was going on. Rin's arms were wrapped around her, shielding her form the massive ghoul hand that was holding them both high above the ground. He was badly wounded around the face, some burns rapidly healing up, and he was covered in his fire. She turned her head to the side slightly, checking to confirm her suspicions. Sure enough, Rin's blazing black tail was swinging around wildly. Where was his sword, then? If he'd drawn it, where did it go?

The large Naberius opened it's supersized mouth, hands from inside of it reaching out to grab the duo. Rin's hold on Mato tightened when a hand grabbed her hair, attempting to pull her in, and she could've sworn she heard him growl at the ghoul.

And then, in a puff of smoke, they were falling to the ground.

The descent was short, hardly painful aside from Mato's sore leg, and as soon as they were on the ground they could gather what had happened; at least, judging from Yukio's kneeling form beside a ruined summoning circle, they could. Rin grabbed for his sword (which had fallen a little away from them after the Naberius had crashed into them) and immediately charged at Igor, pointing the blade at the man's throat before he even had a chance to summon another ghoul.

Rin glared at the man as Mato stood on her own, keeping an eye open for Black Matagi. She'd lost sight of her after the demon had snatched them off of the ground, the girl's body disappearing within seconds, apparently. "Just who are you?" Rin demanded of Igor.

The man released a low growl, ready to summon another demon with the blood leftover on his arm. Yukio, in a panic, stood as fast as he could and shouted, "Igor! For the sake of your body and Sascha's, stop summoning such high-class demons! Do you want the both of you to die from blood loss!?"

A scowl came with his pause, and Mato spent the next second that passed searching for Black Matagi. It didn't take long to spot her, especially now that her eyes had adjusted to the moonlit area once more. A small trail of violet blood was leading toward one of the rails, Sascha found at the end of it; she was panting, out of breath, and obviously tired. She must've been giving Igor as much energy as she could spare to keep him fighting longer.

"I am," Igor said, a grin working its way onto his face, "a survivor of the Blue Night."

His gaze flickered to Rin as he said it, that smug grin growing just a tad. Rin's entire form went rigid, processing what the man had just said. Mato wasn't as quick to put two and two together, her mind going haywire over the fact that she hadn't quite learned what the so-called "Blue Night" was yet. She'd heard Yuu mention it a couple of times, but had been too absorbed in learning about bonds to pay her more attention than that.

Igor reached up for his face, his fingers tracing over his eye-patch. "Just for a moment, while my body was being taken over by Satan" - he began to lift the patch, revealing the beginnings of a dark, sunken wound - "I lost my eye... And I lost my family, who approached me - to try and help me." The patch was completely removed, folded above his brow to proudly reveal the massive temptaint consuming what was left of his left eye. From an outsider's perspective - looking from the regular world in - Igor looked like the victim of a sick arson attack. "Satan, using these hands, murdered my family."

Feeling a little uneasy, Mato glanced over in Sascha's direction - only to see that the girl had moved once more. Less blood was trailing behind her, the wounds Mato had inflicted upon her face fading somewhat. Ah, she'd almost forgotten about the speedy healing quirk Otherselves had.

"I'll never forgive Satan and all those who go by the name demon!" Igor suddenly exploded, shouting at Rin at the top of his lungs. Mato jumped slightly, hardly expecting the usually-lax man to have such an outburst so out-of-the-blue. (Or, at least, it felt that way in the current atmosphere...) "Not to mention the son of Satan!"

The glare Rin gave him was cold enough to freeze a lake, the disgust he felt loud and clear in Mato's mind. Rin wanted to beat the shit out of this man for how he'd approached the situation, and he wanted to make sure Igor learned something from it.

"I'll kill you," Igor went on, quiet once more. And then his voice rose again as he shouted, "Even if I have to exchange it for my life!"

He aimed his arm in Rin's direction, summoning another demon to attack. Mato felt this one before she saw it, the familiar pain of being stabbed coursing through her. It wasn't on the same level as Chariot's spider-doll, but by God it still _hurt like hell_! She immediately dropped, feeling blood pour out of her side, and she soon registered, _Oh, crap, that was more than a prick to the finger. That was an actual stab to the gut.__ I'm freaking bleeding._ She cast her eyes upwards, ignoring the now-gushing trail of blood seeping out from the corner of her mouth. Extending from Igor's arm like an extra, deformed limb was some kind of ghoul-shaped spear of sorts. It resembled an arm, yet had no distinguishable hand or fingers to call it that. It was just some kind of ghoulish spear! To make matters worse, the further down it she stared, the more of Rin's blood she spotted on it.

Rin just stood there, sword still raised at Igor's throat, and coughed a few times as though nothing had happened. He was trembling from the pain of the wound, clearly not used to being stabbed in the gut, and just waited as Igor calmed into a stunned silence and the bloody ring staining his shirt grew with each passing second.

Finally, he turned his head up to look Igor in the eye, and tauntingly - yet earnestly - said, "You worried?"

Igor could only stare. Mato glanced in the direction of Sascha. She was doing exactly the same.

"If this isn't enough for you," Rin said, beginning to sheath his sword. What? "Don't be; 'cause I'll fight as many times as it takes! As many times as you want!" The moment the sword was back in its sheath, both Rin's demonic features and the ghoul-spear had vanished. Rin's expression turned desperate as he reached down to try and help Mato back to her feet. He was being as careful as he could be in the situation, making sure not to move her too quickly. For that, she was grateful; she just prayed he didn't feel that gratefulness at the moment. "But I'm begging you," he went on, "don't get innocent bystanders involved!"

Igor still stared, more shocked than before. He hadn't been expecting any of what Rin had just said, nor had he expected Rin to just stop fighting so readily. It didn't take long for his shock to turn into disdain, the man's injuries finally catching up to him. He clutched his arm as Sascha slowly made her way toward him, frowning at Rin menacingly. "You really think it's over, just like that," he muttered. He turned, began to walk away. Sascha immediately supported his injured side, expressing great concern for her partner. "There's another guy who's like me... You should prepare yourselves."

Within seconds, he had left the rooftop with Sascha and left behind the trio in silence. A few stunned seconds passed, three sets of blue eyes trained on the door, expecting a massive ghoul to come barreling at them in some kind of sneak attack. But nothing happened. Igor and Sascha just left.

It was actually over now.

Overwhelmed, Mato sank to the ground and let out an exaggerated breath. She was so tired after all that; everywhere hurt, her wound slowly becoming ignored; and she was still freaking over a little over what had happened not long before the Naberius had grabbed her. Something had changed in her - something both familiar and unfamiliar to her. She'd felt it before, but it felt like something she'd only experienced in a dream. Not even then - a hallucination. It had scared her, but deep down she'd felt so alive. Like nothing could stand in her way. Like everything was still in her way.

Yukio knelt down beside her as Rin leaned on his knees, letting out a slow breath. "What were you thinking?" Yukio demanded with a growl, directing a small glare at Rin. A hand landed on Mato's shoulder; a silent question of whether she was okay or not.

She felt a pang of jealousy course through her (_what the hell?_) as Rin replied, "I'm fine, I'm fine; I'm pretty sure Mato is too, since she isn't trying to murder me right now. Punch me in the knee if I'm wrong, though," he added in her direction. While she wasn't bleeding anymore (_that smart little idiot_), she rammed her fist onto his foot. Rin let out a yelp, but stood his ground.

And that's when it hit her - guilt and concern and worry, all in one massive dose. It was all coming from Rin, that enough was easy to tell. The thoughts were jumbled, but it all followed the lines of apologising over and over, especially for getting her hurt and not moving away from Igor's attack. Rin wanted to offer her anything he could think of in apology, but everything was shot down by something in the back of his mind, saying she wouldn't forgive him if he did just one thing and not seven. It felt kind of pitiful to feel Rin's guilt - just witnessing his conflict over his actions was making her want to kick something in frustration - and she was almost thankful that Yukio carried on the conversation.

"Well," Yukio said, slightly amused, "at least it wasn't the knee." Even more jealousy flew through her (_what the actual hell!?_) as Rin agreed, and then she heard the ruffling of material above her. She glanced up, spotting Rin exposing his abdomen for Yukio to investigate, and stared in amazement at how quickly the wound had closed up. All that remained was a tiny dent that soon closed up entirely. It wasn't as fast as Otherworld healing, but it was still pretty fast when compared to human healing.

Gasping as though he'd forgotten something, Yukio turned for Mato. "What about you?" he said hurriedly. "Has your closed up completely?"

While it didn't quite feel like it had, Mato lifted her shirt up slightly to check. Once again she felt jealousy pass over her (okay, that _definitely_ wasn't coming from her) as Yukio stared at the non-existent wound. Huh. The blood was there, but no wound?

"I guessing you actually did have an injury, if Sascha was any comparison to go by," Yukio said, "but Rin's healing is affecting you and making you heal faster... Not as fast as Otherselves heal, I'm guessing?" She shook her head. "I see."

Rin cleared his throat, getting their attention, but before anything could be said, two voices immediately shouted out, "Rin!"

In came Shiemi and Yomi, the taller girl bounding toward Rin quicker than the blonde. Yomi skidded to a stop just as Rin shoved his tail down his pants (without them noticing, might she add), immediately freaking out over the blood on his shirt. "Oh, goodness!" she gasped. "You're bleeding! And it's a ghoul's injury!"

"It's okay," Rin said with a small laugh. "I'll be fine. Nothing to worry about."

"_Like hell you are!_" Yomi practically screeched. "_Lie down right here and let me treat that wound!_" By the time she'd said this, she was sitting on her knees and pointing to the spot in front of her. Mato found it hard to keep her giggle-snort to herself. "Shiemi, can you take care of Mato? She might've been affected by the injury, too..."

Obedient, Shiemi hurried to Mato's side and told her (in a much nicer tone than Yomi) to do the same thing. As Mato shifted into place, Yukio moved so she could rest her head on his lap while he observed Shiemi's actions. She understood why - he wasn't quite sure if a demon's temptaint coming through Rin's wounds would affect her, and he needed to find out while the two were fresh from battle with a big ghoul - but that jealousy kept coming back to haunt her.

Yomi had begun talking to Rin; talking about becoming an exorcist. Shiemi overheard, looking to Yukio as she told him she had made her decision. Mato wasn't entirely sure what she meant by that, but she knew that she was tired as hell and ready to drop at any given second. That fight was... Well, it was the biggest one she'd fought since arriving here. She'd have no hope in surviving future exorcisms and fights if she'd tired out this easily!

Doing exactly as she'd predicted, though, she closed her eyes and got comfy as Shiemi applied aloe to the wound.

* * *

"_It's me._"

"Yes?"

"_Igor acted as I ordered, but it appears it wasn't satisfactory. Come to True Cross Academy right now._"

"I cannot enter the school because of your protection against evil, Brother."

"_I'll make Igor guide you. I'll give you the details later, got it?_"

"Understood."

"_Ooh, it looks so good! Let's eat!_"_  
_

"_W-Wait, guys! The cheese and bacon mochi here are in my top three favourites!_"

_Click_.

He lowered the phone lazily, cutting his brother off before he could rant over the phone about mochi. He enjoyed hearing his rants, but at the moment he wasn't quite in the mood for one. No, at the moment he was too preoccupied with another matter - something much more pressing than food.

Amaimon turned his eyes up toward the dim sky, watching the black clouds roll my. Behemoth jumped around at his feet, making small grunts as it danced on the larger Goblin's head. Amaimon paid his pet no attention, mind on something much better than play.

"Both Brother and Father have become entranced... How long will it take Rin to join them?" he wondered aloud. "It'd be good to kill a little time..."

* * *

**Bing-bang-pow, there is the chapter! I got a little stuck with writing the after-y part of the fight with Igor, so I apologise if it seems kind of more-awkward-than-it-should-be-or-something... But, yeah. Hope you guys enjoyed it :)**


End file.
